Line Between Nightmare and Dream
by Luciusdreamer
Summary: Hermione is having dreams about the Malfoy Manor, but they are not what you would expect. She knows she should hate the place but there is something in her that won't let her.
1. Chapter 1

"You forgot your shoes" he said in a deep baritone

This is a story that came out of nowhere to me at work today. I have no clue where it is going but if you like it I'm sure I can make something work. I don't own anything that comes from Harry Potter (I'm not patient or creative enough to write anything close)

Hermione, Harry and Ron are at the same University and live together in a house. They are in their third year. Hermione and Ron have found it hard to keep a relationship after the War but have remained friends.

Hermione walked into the kitchen. Her eyes were glazed over and she looked at Harry and Ron with caution.

"Not another nightmare" Ron said worriedly

"Um… yeah" Hermione said poring herself a cup of coffee

"You do it to yourself you know. Keeping Draco as a friend and going to the Malfoy manor" Harry said passively swirling his spoon in his cereal.

"There is no correlation! I haven't seen Draco in over a month and I haven't been to his house in over three" Hermione defended

"Well you're seeing him this afternoon aren't you? And you're meeting him at the manor" Ron snapped back

"There is NO correlation I have had them without any contact with the Malfoy's before or after. GET OFF MY BACK!" Hermione screamed. She was sick of them patronizing her for being friends with Draco.

Draco had come out of the wood work a year after they all went off to University. He apologized profusely and sent them very expensive gifts. Hermione was the only one who felt bad for him. Horrible things had happened in the past but she refused to let it determine her future.

However a part of her friendship was driven by her "nightmares". She had been haunted by them long before Draco showed up again and when he did she thought it might be a way to get closure.

The dreams she had were of the Malfoy manor. She would be walking around the house alone, she never felt frightened or uneasy in fact she felt something completely different….Horny. So much so that when she woke up she felt like jumping the next male she saw. She would have to calm herself down with a vibrator she kept next to her bed before she trusted herself to go out to the living area where she knew Ron and Harry would be.

"Those dreams are your subconscious telling you to stay away from everything Malfoy" Ron said under his breath, pulling Hermione back into the room.

He could be right…he would be right if she felt frightened in her dream but she never had the guts to tell her male friends what the dream really made her feel. They would never understand and in truth she didn't understand it herself.

"When I end up dead you can tell me you told me so" Hermione grumbled

After a few more silent moments Hermione put her cup in the sink and went to her room to get dressed for her lunch date with Draco.

She chose a very casual outfit and decided to apparate right from her room to avoid Ron and Harry's looks. She arrived on the Malfoy Manor's front door step and took a breath before she rang the door bell.

A sad looking house elf answered the door and looked up at her

"Master Draco isn't ready yet he is finishing up a business meeting but said you can wait for him in the ball room" She said robotically

Hermione nodded her head and watched the elf walk a little ways before disappearing. Hermione's stomach jumped. She had never been in the Malfoy Manor in such close proximity to one of her dreams. She took a few steps to look down a hallway to her left. She was amazed at how well her dreams pieced this place together in her mind especially since the only time she made it past the entrance way was the night she was tortured here. The hall looked exactly the same as in her dream down to the very smell of the air. How could her mind have remembered so much detail when she was in such a state of stress when she was here?

Hermione suddenly looked up and realized she was half way down the hall already. Her feet had taken her to a door that was cracked open and she could see walls of books beyond it. Old books… ones that probably contained knowledge that had been forgotten centuries ago.

She pushed her hand against the door and let it open just enough to get her through the opening. The tiles on the floor made her shoes click much more loudly than in the hall and she quickly bent over to remove her heels. She placed them absentmindedly by a nearby couch and walked to the wall of books that ran from floor to ceiling and covered every inch of the room. Her mind raced as she read the array of titles, which seemed to be in no particular order.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw another door that lead into another small room off the library. Butterflies began fluttering inside her as she realized this must be Lucius Malfoy's study. She began breathing very quickly; he could be in there going over numbers and endless paperwork. She had heard he buried himself in his work after Narcissa divorced him.

She turned back to the books to try and clear her mind. The dream she had this morning came rushing into her head. Except the emotions she felt then seemed dull compared to now. What was it about this place that could get her going like this?

"See anything you like" She heard a man say behind her and her heart dropped through the floor

She turned to see Lucius standing in the doorway between his study and the library.

"I…uhhhh…um…Draco…" Hermione's mind was completely numb

"There is a larger library on the second floor, this is my personal collection. Well what the ministry let me keep" Lucius sounded friendly, accommodating and Hermione was confused

"Thank You" Hermione managed

She pretended to hear Draco in the hall and made her way to the hall

"I should wait at the front door" Hermione stuttered

Lucius simply nodded as she walked past him

"You forgot your shoes" he said in a deep baritone and he walked towards the couch where he shoes still sat of the cold tiles.

She turned around, embarrassed, and walked slowly back towards him. She leaned down to pick them up and her closeness to Lucius made her heart skip a beat. She turned around to leave but felt a hand wrap around her arm and the warm breath of Lucius on her neck

"Why did you come in here" He whispered. He didn't sound mad only curious

"I…Um… Draco was taking longer than usual and I thought I would walk around a bit. I didn't know you were home" Hermione struggled for the truth

He whipped her around to face him and secured her other arm in his right hand

"You should be terrified of this place Hermione. You should hate everything Malfoy, yet you still are friends with my son and come to this house regularly?" His voice was a little more heated but he still was more curious than mad

"Your right" was all she could manage. It was a dilemma she knew all too well and that literally kept her awake at night

She couldn't make herself be afraid though, actually she could feel the desire for her former captor build in her gut.

Lucius wasn't sure how to respond to the answer. He had always heard she was a smart girl, but what would drive her to befriend his son and return to this house was beyond his reasoning. Even after what he had done to her.

Hermione could feel the passion build into her throat. She wanted nothing more than for Lucius to close the inch between them and kiss her. The fire spread through her neck and into the back of her skull.

Lucius could see the fire in her eyes. It was something he rarely saw these days since most pureblood woman avoided him for being divorced and other woman were afraid of him. But here stood the one woman who had every right to be afraid and she wanted him.

Lucius loosened his grip only to pull her hard against his chest. He leaned in and wrapped his lips around her mouth. He breathed in her fire and began nibbling on her lower lip and teasing her upper lip with his tongue.

She couldn't move. Her desire had filled her brain and passed through her body so fast she had to freeze to allow it through her veins. He was beyond any kiss she had ever had. This was pure passion, pure unexplainable forbidden passion.

Lucius nudged her head away from him and stared at the witch in front of him. The question in his eyes was obvious and shocking to Hermione. He was giving her a choice. She could wriggle out of his arms and walk away …..Or stay.

She lifted herself onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. She waited for him to respond and he did so by cupping her face in his hands and kissing her back.

She wasn't sure what to consequences of staying would be but for the moment…well it was a moment.


	2. Masochist Theory

Lucius' lips were so gentle and talented. He responded to every move and sigh she made. He traced the line of her jawbone with his thumb and she tilted her head to expose her neck. He kissed her ear then slowly explored her neck. He was so gentle she had to heighten her senses to even feel his lips on her skin.

She wrapped her arms around him and nudged him to go farther. She felt his breath on her chest as he nibbled beyond the neckline of her shirt. She tilted her head and took a deep breath to take in his musky smell………………

_A hand hit hard on her face and her head jerked to one side. She felt the sting spread across her face and her neck cramp from the sudden whiplash. Another blow came from blow her chin, closed fist this time, and smashed her head against the wall behind her. The taste of iron filled her mouth and she cried out for her friends. _

_"Hermione" she could hear Ron scream from somewhere in the Manor_

"Hermione" The sound was real this time not just a memory and she snapped back into reality.

Lucius stood in front of her looking ashamed and frightened. During her flashback she had tensed her body so quickly he thought he had hit a nerve on her neck. Her arms were still wrapped tightly around him but he had let go.

"You should go" Lucius said as he pulled her arms off of him

She stood frozen, surprised to find that every muscle in her body was tight, but as her arms began to move away from him she began to relax.

"Hermione?! Where did you wander off too?" Draco called from the hall a little closer now

Hermione still didn't move, she was relaxed now but she didn't want to leave. Lucius' hair was dancing around his face in a draft and his profile against the dim light was intoxicating. He seemed to realize why she wasn't going and walked back to his study.

"You should go" He managed to be a little more firm this time and closed the door behind him

"There you are, bloody hell woman I hate hide and seek" Draco said behind her "you know this isn't the best place for you. If my father found you who knows what the sex deprived man would do"

Hermione turned to look at Draco and he instantly regretted his choice of words.

"Shit I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. He wouldn't I promise! Besides he's a changed man…I wish you could meet him all over again." Draco back peddled as quickly as he could

"It's ok I…uh… was just looking at some of the books" Hermione knew Draco would believe that

"You really ought to get help for your book addiction" Draco laughed and offered his arm to Hermione

This time she did laugh and walked with Draco to lunch.

As she walked down the hall Draco was rattling on about the meeting he was just in but her head was clouded trying to make sense of what just happened. If someone can provoke such horrific memories with just a whiff of their hair they should not be the same person that makes you feel so giddy and lustful. But yet here she was with her face tingling from remembering the blow and wet from the kiss.

"I don't blame you" She heard Draco say

"For what!!" Hermione gasped

"For ignoring me, I am rambling on about my meeting. I promise no more work talk" Draco responded

"No it's my fault I've been out of it today" Hermione answered

"I hope it doesn't involve another dream" Draco delved "I don't think I would survive another one of your attempts to get closure"

Hermione glared at him for bringing that up. She had slept over at Draco's apartment in London a few months ago and had one of her dreams. Her tossing and turning had woken up Draco and he woke her thinking she was having a nightmare. Well he soon found out the real reason for the thrashing and has never let her live down the moment.

"You were in the wrong place at the wrong time" She argued

"I wouldn't exactly call it the 'wrong' place" He laughed

"Can we have an uneventful lunch please" Hermione begged

"Why something eventful happen already?" Draco asked while pouring some water for them both

"I did have a dream last night and it's a little touchy for me to be here" She admitted

"I'll try 'not' to provoke you" Draco jeered

Hermione rolled her eyes and broke a piece of bread off the loaf sitting in front of her.

"You really are a masochist Granger" Draco said absentmindedly

Hermione looked at him in shock. Could he be right? It would explain a lot, but the memory she had just had had hurt, and it wasn't like she liked the pain. The pain wasn't what turned her on, she knew that much, but what was turning her on was still a mystery.

So this is a new journey for me. I am just sort of writing and seeing what happens so we'll see what comes.

Loveismagic- You are too kind. I hope you like the rest.

Duco Lacuna- I do dream about Lucius, allllllll the time, and love every second of it


	3. Focus

"When you work side by side with muggles you must ALWAYS be aware of your words. Things like acronyms will confuse them and make them feel excluded. In doing so you make yourself different from them and no one works well with people who are different from them. Now……"

Hermione was struggling to hear and understand what her professor was saying. It was always a hard class to stay awake in, she knew how to fit in with muggles but the class was required by her major so she endured.

Hermione raised her hand. She asked question occasionally to humor the professor.

"Miss. Granger you have a question?"

"What about people who are drawn to people different from themselves?" Hermione asked absentmindedly

"Well they are few and far between to it's best to just assume a person works best with someone similar to them" The professor turned to continue lecture

"But don't opposites attract" Hermione asked

"My dear we are talking about working relationships not love affairs. People need to be able to connect through common interests" The professor was obviously perturbed to have her methods questioned

"But the concept can be applied to all interactions. If it is true for one human response, it can be true for others" Hermione pushed

"Yes I am sure you can find exceptions to every rule" The professor immediately continued with class leaving no room for further interruption

Hermione stared at a white washed wall. His touch flickered in her mind and she closed her eyes to let her senses take over.

_She could hear his breath echo down the hall. She was on her knees in front of him and his cock reared and pulsed in her mouth. Her hands wandered around his body feeling every dip in his muscled legs. She could feel him getting close and his breathing got louder. He threw his head back and Hermione put her hands on his ass to feel him clench his muscles when he released. Then from behind her a horde of nearly 300 people came running at them from down the hall._

Hermione snapped her head up from her desk. The class was rushing by her all trying to get out of the classroom faster than the other 300 students. Hermione shook her head and gathered her things.

"Hermione" the professor said from the front of the room "could I speak with you"

Hermione cringed, can't I catch a break, she thought

"I realize you could pass this class tomorrow but I would rather you not question me then fall asleep. These students look up to you and you are making it very hard to make this material sound relevant when Hermione Granger puts no clout in it" The professor said

"I'm sorry I haven't been myself lately." Hermione said

"I've noticed. You know it's ok to have dark moments after what you've lived through, but they won't go away till you talk them through with someone. There are lots of people at this University who are capable of helping" her professor advised

"A shrink! No I'm fine it's just a few dreams that I can't explain, nothing serious they'll go away" Hermione said sharply

"Ok as long as you're sure" was the response

Hermione walked out of the room in a huff. Shrinks yeah that's a great idea and let one of them slip that the poster girl of the war is having erotic dreams about Death eaters. But she wasn't sure; maybe she could get some answers. She had researched dream meanings in every library she could get access to and came up with nothing helpful. Something had to fall into place to make sense soon or she was going to drive herself into a panic.

He crunched the numbers for the 15th time and got yet another number.

"UH!! How can the same numbers add up to 15 different sums?" Lucius yelled

He knew exactly how, the same way a girl kisses the man who had her tortured, loss of sanity. No matter how hard he concentrated on anything he drifted out the door of his office to the library and next to that couch where her shoes were; where she had kissed him so passionately.

He had convinced himself a few times he had dreamt it, but then he was disturbed by having dreamt such a thing.

It was a mistake, she obviously was distracted and confused and when she realized what she was doing she tensed up… But why didn't she run from him, why did she keep her arms wrapped around him and stand there till he removed himself from the situation. Would she have stayed? How far would it have gone?

"Stop thinking about her it was a mistake" Lucius reassured himself out loud

He looked back down at the numbers in front of him. Erased all the previous calculations and started over.

"Master" came a timid voice from blow his desk

"What is it?" He snapped back

"There is a woman at the door asking to see you" was the reply

"Who is it?" He asked

"Miss Granger"

"I'm not here" was his calm response

"Well if you could please tell me where you are I'd like a minute to talk" Hermione said from the door

The house elf vanished in mid gasp

Lucius could do nothing but stare at her. He wanted nothing more than to run or wake-up anything to make this not be happening.

"Miss. Granger you…um... this is the second time you have showed yourself into my home" He knew he sounded like an ass

"I'm sorry I had to see you" Hermione tried to smile

"Why? What in the world would drive you to want to see me" Lucius could not help his tone

"That kiss for one" She explained

"That was a mistake" He dropped his head into his hands and smoothed his hair back violently

"Oh…" She looked at the ground the wood floor was the same through out the house

_He was holding her around the waist and stroking her hair with the other hand. She was bent over the arms of a chair and could see the oak floor, newly cleaned, beneath her. His cock plunged deeper and deeper and with every stroke he whispered louder and louder till finally he screamed…._

"Hermione!" Lucius took a step towards her

Hermione blinked and took a deep breath, she looked at Lucius.

"Sorry I guess I thought we were on the same page but I was obviously wrong" She turned quickly and walked out of the office.

Lucius felt guilty for not letting her speak her peace but she had awful timing, he couldn't deal with this right now. Unfortunately instead of preventing problems it only raised more questions.

"How could I have been so dumb" she said out loud "of course it was nothing, you just thought it was more because you wanted it to be more so you could get come closure from your mad dreams" She walked faster as she felt tears in her eyes.

Then 'SMACK' she ran right into someone on the front walkway. Hands grabbed both her biceps and a face came into focus through the tears.

"Granger? You look terrible. What are you doing here?" She threw herself at Draco and cried on his shoulder. "Whoa!! Let's go get some coffee" he suggested "in town"

He added the last part when he saw his father standing in the doorway behind Hermione. He had a good guess of what just happened and she was better off out of the Manor.

I promise soon there are more "interesting" scenes so stick with me.

THANKS FOR READING!!


	4. London

Contains Draco/Hermione

**Three months earlier London**

Hermione slammed shut another book and sighed loudly**.** She had been at the library all day and didn't feel like she had achieved anything. She would have to spend all day Sunday starting over. She cringed when she thought about the flight home; it was the only way to travel in and out of London since the war.

"Four flights in two days, I could just find a couch to sleep on in the restricted section" Hermione thought. Then she realized she knew someone in London, she made a quick wish he would be home and grabbed her bags.

There was a knock on Draco's door and he walked a little agitated towards the door

"Granger?" Draco was shocked to see her in London

"Hey sorry for dropping by unannounced but I was in London doing some research and I didn't quite finish. I thought it would be worthless to go home and back again and I thought I could stay here" Hermione was pretty sure Draco would say yes but she figured she should be polite and tell him the whole story

"Of course!! I would have been mad to hear you were in town and didn't stop by" Draco directed her into the apartment.

Well… if you could call it an apartment, it was huge. The decorating was overly extravagant and very tacky. Draco immediately went to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine and left Hermione to take in the scenery. He had great taste in views at least, the city spread out like a painting in the huge glass windows.

"So what are you researching in London?" Draco asked as he handed Hermione a glass of Sauvignon Blanc

"Nope, no talk about research or school or work, How have you been?" Hermione asked as she finished half her wine in a single gulp

"Work" Draco laughed as he filled her glass back up

"Eh.. How did our lives get to this? We had exciting fucking lives when we were kids" Hermione said

"Yeah thrilling! Almost being killed at every turn. I'm happy with work honestly" Draco replied

They continued talking for hours about years past and things they wish they could change. It was easy for Hermione to talk to Draco; he never judged or expected anything from her. And in some strange way they helped each other keep perspective.

"You sure know how to give a girl a good night Draco" Hermione laughed

"Well I'm glad you liked the wine. As much as we have avoided the subject I do have some work to do early in the morning. The guest room is the second door on the right. The front door will lock behind you when you leave" Draco kissed her on the cheek "night"

"Thank you Draco" Hermione called after him. She was glad for the wine it would help her sleep after her hours of researching dreams and their meanings.

……………………………………………………………………..

_Hermione was looking down a long hallway. A hallway she had been in before… as a prisoner. She knew the layout well because she had paid very close attention the last time she was here in case she needed to make a quick escape. She looked around for another person but she was very much alone. The smell of the old wood floors made her heart skip a beat, and she listened closely to the echo of her feet down the hall._

_As she looked down the hall she could feel her pulse begin to race. Something was waiting for her and she was proceeding down the hall by a force outside of herself._

_Two arms wrapped around her from behind, one below her chest and the other across her shoulders._

"_There you are" came from the man behind her. His velvety voice danced in her head and he traced her ear with his lips. He whispered something else into her ear and she melted into him._

_That's all it ever took. He said a few words and she became his. Hermione couldn't control her reaction, her heart began to beat so quickly she could see it in her chest, her breath became shallow and frantic, and she was suddenly dripping wet._

_He ran his hand down the curve of her body and inched her hemline upwards. He continued to taste her neck and she could feel his excitement on her lower back so she reached around and put her hand on his erection. _

_His fingers pushed aside her panties and swept over her clit in one amazingly graceful move. His fingers teased around inside and out and Hermione tried to keep up and return the favor to him but she got lost in the pleasure and with every flick of his fingers she came closer and closer…_

"_Hermione" He whispered "Hermione"_

"Hermione!? Hermione!? Wake up!" Draco said in a sleepy grog

He had been sleeping in his room across the hall when he heard a loud thump from Hermione's room. He would have dismissed it but it sounded like she was kicking and having trouble breathing. He grabbed a robe and ran to her room. He found her thrashing around on the floor back arched and hands gripping for something behind her. Her breathing was not exactly asthmatic more…well….sexual.

"Hermione! Please wake up. It's Draco" He pleaded with her

She sat straight up and took two quick deep breaths.

"Bloody hell Granger you scared the shit out of me" Draco placed his hand on Hermione's shoulders

She turned her head to look at the hand on her shoulder. She slowly raised her hand to hold his.

"Thank you" She said and moved to sit on the bed

Draco sat next to her and rubbed her back. Suddenly he found himself flat on his back with Hermione straddling him and kissing him from above him.

"Whoa" Draco tried to get out but Hermione silenced him with another passionate kiss

"Don't talk! just let me do this" she begged

Draco was more than happy to oblige. He wasn't sure where this passion was coming from but he had learned long ago how to roll with the punches.

Hermione readjusted her body to place herself next to Draco. She opened the robe and was very happy to have caught Draco off guard. He wasn't quite hard yet and she seized the moment to suck him till he was.

Draco's mind buckled she wasn't wasting anytime and she knew her way around a man's body. Her tongue wrapped around his shaft then slid with a flick off the end. Her hands mapped out a trail from his navel to his knees.

"Draco? Can I ask you a favor?" Hermione asked timidly

"After that…anything" Draco huffed breathlessly

"Finger me" the request hit him like a ton of bricks. She was so up front and honest. She could have said him to kill the Minister of Magic and he would have jumped up to do it after that amazing blowjob.

Draco sat up and positioned himself on top of her.

"No not like this" She whispered. She pulled him out of the bed and stood with her back to him. She placed his left arm around her shoulders and his right hand between her legs.

Rolling with the punches Draco ran a finger over her clit. He gasped to find her soaking wet. He spread open her lips and ran two fingers along the length of her pussy. The heat resonating from her was nearly painful but her sighs made him feel so accomplished. Every move he made she moaned and pressed closer to him. He inched two fingers into her pulsing heat, she cried out and grabbed Draco around the neck.

"Yes keep going I'm almost there" Hermione pleaded

He bent his knees to get a better position on her and pushed harder against her G-spot. He could feel her muscles closing in around his fingers and as he shoved his fingers into her one more time he lifted her up onto her toes and she screamed out. Throwing her head backwards and nearly falling to the floor again.

Draco managed to get her into the bed and collapsed next to her.

"Well whatever Potter, Weasley, and you are doing in that apartment I will have to thank them" Draco said

"It's not them" Hermione sighed

"Well who ever he is I want to buy him a drink" Draco laughed, but could hear Hermione begin to cry next to him.

"Shit I'm sorry" Draco propped himself on his arm and looked down on Hermione who had streaks running from the corner of both eyes.

"It's not you…I have been having these dreams that I can't control or explain" Hermione said

"Were you having one when I woke you up? What are they about" Draco asked

Hermione explained her dream to Draco and a little bit of him was disappointed to find he had very little to do with the splurge of lust he just experienced.

"Well you know I am always here to help" Draco laughed

"This isn't funny Draco! I am messed up, who gets tortured and then dreams about hot sex on the torture table" Hermione's words cut deep. Draco felt so guilty about that whole situation that any mention of it made his stomach drop.

"Hermione…" Draco tried to say but she interrupted him

"You know I don't blame you or your father for any of that. I'm sorry I brought it up" She turned on her side away from him

"Granger if you can't talk to me about this who can you?" Draco rubbed her back

"Thank you" She said as she drifted off to sleep

Thanks to MrsHeleneSnape for inspiring me to write more about Hermione's night with Draco


	5. Last Straw

The coffee shop was full of students but the table in the back corner was quickly cleared, cleaned, and stocked with fresh muffins when Draco Malfoy walked in.

Hermione had to smile; Draco had done a very good job of restoring the Malfoy name to its proper place in people's minds. Respect, with the not so subtle hint of fear, it was the best way to keep people honest in business Draco had explained

Hermione and Draco sat for a while sipping their coffee, neither one really sure where to begin this conversation.

'Sigh' "Granger you have to talk to me" Draco finally said

"I don't know what to say" Hermione said

"Let's start with why you were at the manor" Draco suggested

"I don't know, I thought I would get some sort of answer…or figure out what the question is" Hermione mumbled

"Mione I'm really getting nervous about these dreams" Draco said sounding uncharacteristically concerned

"Yeah me too, I just want them to stop and I can't figure out what the trigger is" Hermione sighed

"Bear with me here…" Draco was really hesitant to say what he was thinking "but maybe you should talk to someone more…'helpful' than me" He held his breath for her response

He didn't get one though she just looked blankly out the window. Her eyes blinked very slowly and Draco turned tentatively to see what she was looking at. There was a family walking with a daughter in a stroller and another about 12 years old.

"It's strange how much has changed since we were that age" Hermione said blankly, "At her age we were facing horrific evils"

"And the baby will be told bedtime stories about us" Draco laughed

Hermione wasn't thrilled. Her eyes widened and fear streaked across her face.

"Mione! What is it?" Draco was scared to know the answer

"You're right I should go see Professor Phan" Hermione said gulping down her coffee and flinching when she burnt her throat "Thanks Draco" And she ran out the door

Draco sat looking after her long after she was out of sight.

Professor Phan looked up from her work when she heard the classroom door slam. She looked at the clock; her next appointment wasn't for 3 hours so she put her pen to rest and walked to the door.

Hermione was panting from the sprint over to campus but the moisture on her forehead was more from worry than the trip. She loathed the idea of seeing a shrink but she was at the end of her rope. If Lucius wouldn't even talk to her how was she ever going to sort this out?

"Ms. Granger? What can I do for you" Professor Phan said hiding her concern

"I'm so sorry for barging in on you I'm sure you have some appointments but I really desperately need to talk to you" Hermione blurted out

"You came at a good time then. Come into my office I have some water in there you look exhausted" Phan directed her to a chair and poured Hermione a drink

Hermione gulped the water in no time and the cup refilled itself

"Thank you so much! I really was thirsty" Hermione said trying to delay the onslaught of questioning

Professor Phan watched her down three more glasses of water before she asked Hermione why she was there

"Well…I have been….I'm not sure if…do you know anything about dreams?" Hermione stuttered

"I have them frequently" Phan laughed trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work

"That's my problem, I have been having one dream frequently and it's really messing with me" Hermione moaned

"What do you mean 'messing with you'" Phan asked

"I can't figure out what they mean and they make no sense what so ever. Every attempt I have made to explain them away or resolve them has blown up in my face" Hermione explained

"Lets start with what the dreams are about" Phan suggested

Hermione moaned this was the part she prayed could some how be avoided. Explaining this to a stranger was going to be embarrassing and annoying. If she couldn't understand these dreams how was this woman going to understand.

"I want to make sure no one will ever hear about this" Hermione tried to sound strong and not like a whiney child.

"Of course! Not only under student professor rules but also patient doctor laws" Phan had heard this question before but never with such fear behind the words.

Hermione downed two more glasses of water to wet her suddenly dry throat and found a place on the floor to stare at while she explained the dreams to Professor Phan.

When she was done she took a deep breath and waited for the gasp. When she didn't get what she expected she looked up from the floor. Professor Phan was finishing her notes and had a frighteningly calm look on her face.

"Well I have to say I expected something far worse with the way to burst in here" Phan laughed

Hermione's heart sank _WORSE ! WHAT COULD BE WORSE this woman was not going to understand at all ! How could she help when she wasn't taking this seriously at ALL_

"Hermione this _is_ a special case seeing your past but I have no doubt we can work through this" Phan smiled at her again

Hermione groaned this was a huge mistake, maybe she could……then she remembered why she was here. This was her last resort. There was nothing else she could do; she had to go through with this.

"Hermione why don't you tell me about the last few months, what you've tried to get over this and theories you may have about why you have these dreams" Phan prepped herself to take more notes

"Well I have no theories, not full ones anyway, I keep running into dead ends and having to explain them away with ridiculous conclusions" Hermione explained

"Let me hear something you have come up with" Phan pushed

"Mr. Malfoy is extremely good looking" Hermione looked up to see Professor Phans reaction. Her face was flat so she went on "and I wouldn't be a sane female if I didn't feel something towards him. The time I was in his house was the closest I had gotten to him. It could just be two separate parts of my brain matching up" Hermione was very hesitant to delve into this; the butterflies were already going crazy.

"That is very intuitive, have you done research on this topic" Phan asked

"You have no idea. I think I have read every book on dreams, muggle, wizard, fiction, everything" Hermione moaned

"Did you find anything interesting" Phan pushed

"No that's why I'm here. They kept saying things like facing the things in your dreams or reenacting them to find the meaning" Hermione replied

"You have reenacted these dreams!!" Phan couldn't hold back her shock

"NO!!!! Well not entirely! I have been to the manor and talked to Lucius…well I have sort of…we um kissed…ONCE! But when I tried to talk about it he said it was a mistake" Hermione blushed to a deep purple red

"I think we need to start from the beginning" Phan said flipped to a new page in her note book and began writing

Hermione explained the first dream and the issues with Harry and Ron

"Your friends know about the dreams?" Phan asked

"They know I have them but not that I …well… enjoy them. They think they are nightmares" Hermione explained

"What have been your encounters with the Malfoys?" Phan continued wanting to keep Hermione talking

"I'm good friends with Draco and I have been to his house a few times but…" Hermione stumbled

"But what? Ms. Granger the only way I can help is to know all you know" Phan could see Hermione was shutting down

"I have flashbacks and daydreams when I am in the house. I have had all sorts of triggers and no two have been the same. The smell of a room, the sight of the floor but they are all one time triggers. I can have visions with or without them" Hermione was not liking this at all. She wanted to run to her room and never face the world again

Phan wrote on her pad " -- dealing with more than just dreams –Hallucinations during the day and at sporadic times ---the subject of the dreams and the past of the patient makes these very difficult to diagnose"

"We'll Ms. Granger I am very glad you came to me. We are dealing with a very significant disturbance to your life and it may take us awhile to work through it. Are you willing to take chances and work this out?" Phan said

Hermione hesitated taking chances was not a strong point of hers but she was in no way going to live the rest of her life like this. "Yes" was all she could manage

"Good why don't you stop by tomorrow at the same time and I will tell you want sense I have made from this" Phan walked to the door and walked Hermione a few feet from her office

"If anything happens from now till tomorrow right it down with as much detail as you can manage" Phan said as she walked away

"That could have been worse" Hermione thought to herself and she headed straight home

So school started up again and life has been oober busy, but I really love this story and I think I know where it is going so Hopefully I will be able to find the time to write more.


	6. The Beginning of the End

The next day Hermione walked into Professor Phan's office with two scrolls packed with details about the dream she had the night before. She slapped them onto Phan's desk and slumped into a chair.

Phan glanced over the document. Her face immediately turned red. Hermione had gone into more detail then she expected.

"Well…um…I see the dreams are…detailed" Phan had only made it through half of the dream before she had to stop herself.

"Yeah" Hermione grumbled.

"Well I wanted to make today quick. I just want to go over a few things" Phan checked to make sure Hermione was listening. She could tell the idea of quick went over will with Hermione.

"As far as I can see there are two routes to take. We can wait this out and see if this is just a phase or we can confront this head on." Phan waited as Hermione thought it over

Hermione took a deep breath and thought. She didn't like these dreams taking such a huge role in her life but a sudden fear overtook her. What if Professor Phan was as good as people said she was and she gets rid of these dreams? They were annoying but they made her feel….something, anything… she liked feeling.

"What does each approach entail?" Hermione asked buying herself some time

"Well if you want to ride this out we would meet once a month and talk through the worst issues you're having. The hope would be that other aspects of your life will take over and this would pass" Phan explained but Hermione was not convinced this would work

"Or…if you want to confront it we would take a more head on approach. You would write every feeling, flashback, dream, and thought and we will talk them through. You will have to see me every week maybe once or twice and you will have to do exercises to find your limits" Phan went on

Hermione took a deep breath "I want to squash this" If it does work she at least will have a huge library of her dreams to read if she ever wants to feel again.

"Ok well then your first assignment is to get a stack of scrolls and batteries" Phan said

"Batteries?" Hermione asked

"For your vibrator this is going to get worse before it gets better" Phan winked

Hermione sat in the living room writing down as much as she could remember of her past dreams. She was 12 scrolls into it when Ron came home.

"Oh good you got groceries" Ron yelled from the other room as he rustled through the bags on the kitchen counter looking for something salty to eat " Hermione why are there three bags full of scrolls and a 48 pack of batteries in here?"

Hermione just giggled.

"Hermione!!! What are you writing!?!" Ron screamed from the other side of the couch

"Ron it's rude to read over people's shoulders" Hermione blushed as she pulled the parchment to her chest

"I have been worried about you and now I can see with good reason. What the hell is going on with you?" Ron demanded

"Nothing to concern you" Hermione gathered up her scrolls and grabbed the bag with the batteries and went to her room

She really hopped this was going to work.

Three days went by with no trigger, no dreams, it was life as normal. She went to see Professor Phan everyday for a few minutes to talk about general nonsense and to drop off more scrolls full of erotic dreams.

"You know Hermione after all this you're going to have to write a dirty romance novel" Phan joked

"NO!! No one will ever hear about this" Hermione freaked out

"You can change the names and places dear" Phan shook her head. Even though Hermione had gone three days with no new events she was not loosening up about the situation.

"What are your plans for today?" Phan asked as Hermione walked to the door

"Ron's sister is in town and we are spending the night out on the town" Hermione said

"Good!! I can't wait to hear all about it tomorrow" Phan said with a wink

Hermione headed into town to get a new outfit for the evening; unfortunately the monthly trends seemed to have forgotten it was getting colder. Every window featured dresses that were nearly bikinis. Hermione had never been comfortable in those kinds of dresses but after finding nothing in 5 different stores she doubled back.

"Back so soon Ms. Granger?" The store clerk asked her

"Yeah scratch what I said before, if you were going out to hook up randomly what would you wear?" Hermione was at her wits end and her bluntness gave her away

"I have just the thing" The clerk pulled her into a dressing room grabbing a dress from behind the counter.

The dress was cut on an angle from her right thigh to her left ankle. The cotton clung to her body but it was so soft she could only think of snuggling up with it in bed, which she figured men would too. It was a royal blue with yellow beading and it fit like it was made for her.

She stood in front of the mirror deciding if she could feel comfortable with so much cleavage showing and whether or not the dress was too dressy for a bar. She decided she didn't care, it was gorgeous. As she looked around for the clerk she caught two eyes she didn't expect.

_His hands ran down her throat and his breath filled her mouth. Her lips pushed against his and begged him for more. His hands made it to the small of her back and he leaned over her, forcing her weight onto his arm. She gasped as his tongue traced circles around her ear and down her neck. She brought a hand to his head and weaved her hands into his hair. She pulled his face to hers and pressed her lips to his with as much force as she could muster._

"You'll wrinkle the fabric before anyone can even see it" Lucius said in his velvety tone

Hermione snapped out of her daze to find Lucius standing three strides from her and a fist full of fabric. She also realized she hadn't taken a breath in awhile when the air filling her lungs burned.

It was hard for the clerk to not laugh. Both parties looked like they were standing face to face with a Norwegian Ridgeback. Hermione had the dress crumpled up into such a mess at her side you couldn't tell fabric from skin and Lucius was sweating through the back of his cloak.

"Ms. Granger would you like to purchase the dress" The clerk tried to cut through the tension

"Yes Thank You" Hermione said and backed into the dressing room without looking away from Lucius' eyes.

Lucius quickly left the shop knocking over racks of clothes as he passed.

"He's gone" The clerk said after she had stopped laughing

Hermione inched her way to the front counter looking around cautiously.

"Would you like me to steam the dress first" the clerk asked

"Yes please" Hermione said in a very small voice. She propped herself on the counter and stared at the silvery granite.

Hermione's head swam (It had to be today. I was doing so well but he had to waltz in here today. If I would have just gone home…DAMN IT!!)

She took the dress carefully, not wanting to damage it any further. Then walked home so she could regain her senses before she had to face anyone.


	7. Encounters

Hermione burst through the front door and ran to her room.

"Hi to you too" Ginny said after Hermione

"Sorry Hi! I…um…want to take a shower before we go out" Hermione yelled through the door

"Hermione?! You ok?" Ginny asked

"Yeah I'm fine" Hermione peaked out the door "Give me 30 m…an hour and I'll be ready to go"

The door slammed in Ginny's face. Hermione hung the dress over the back of a chair and sat at the edge of her bed. She opened a drawer and pulled out her vibrator.

"This is the only way I'm going to be able to go into public tonight" Hermione said out loud and sat back in her bed.

"Wow you guys were right she is really wigging out about something" Ginny said as she joined the boys in the front room

"Yeah she's having nightmares about her time at the Malfoy Manor" Harry said wrapping his arm around Ginny

"I wouldn't be so sure they're nightmares" Ron grumbled

"What?" Harry asked

"She has been writing dirty smut about Lucius" Ron answered "I caught her a few nights ago. She had scrolls and scrolls full and more waiting to be filled, and batteries …but I don't understand the batteries"

Ginny giggled

"What?" Ron asked

But before she could explain there was a knock at the door. Harry got up to answer it but when he saw who it was he froze and turned to Ginny and Ron

"It's Lucius!" Harry was shocked

"What! NO WAY he is NOT welcome here what the hell does he want?!!!!!" Ron screamed

"I don't know, I didn't answer the door yet genius" Harry answered

Ginny got up and walked past her hysterical brother to the door. Sure enough there was Lucius in all his glory. Hair pulled back in a silk ribbon, black cloaks flowing over his impossibly ripped body, but Ginny noticed a few differences. He had a new cane without a glaring snake on top, and he had something behind his eyes other than hate.

Ginny reached for the door knob but Ron pulled her away.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked

"Finding out what he wants" Ginny said and opened the door

"Hello Ms. Weasley, or is it Mrs. Potter now" Lucius grinned

"No he hasn't even asked yet" Ginny glared at Harry

"Can we help you or did you just come to provoke my girlfriend" Harry said

"I was hoping I could speak with Ms. Granger" Lucius tried to keep his voice steady though he was shaking at the thought. He knew any meeting with Hermione was not going to be a picnic.

"She's not feeling well" Harry explained

"She wouldn't want to see you anyway" Ron glared from the other room

"I think we could leave that for her to decide" Lucius replied

Ron made a lunge for the door but Harry effortlessly pushed him into the kitchen

"I'm really sorry about them they have been dealing with a lot lately" Ginny apologized

"Nothing too bad I hope" Lucius delved

"I haven't heard the whole story but Hermione is apparently having some strange dreams" Ginny tried to be as vague as possible

"Could you please tell her I came by" Lucius pleaded

"It might be more effective if I tell her what you came by for" Ginny said

"I think she'll know" Lucius mumbled "Thank you" he tipped his hat and walked back towards the street.

Ginny was confused. He seemed genuine, he didn't push his way into the house, he didn't provoke Harry or Ron, he was…well…nice. She still wasn't sure if she was going to tell Hermione, it might be a topic best left for when Hermione was trashed this evening.

An hour and a half and three new batteries later Hermione came out into the front room. Ron's jaw fell open, unfortunately revealing half the sandwich he was eating.

Hermione had charmed her hair into a long elegant braid and twisted it on top of her head. She had found some yellow earrings that just dusted the top of her shoulders. Her make-up was classy but by far the most make-up she had ever had on at once. Her dress followed the shape of her body and her strides only emphasized the beauty of the dress.

"WOW Mione" Harry gapped from the couch

Ginny gave him a quick elbow to the gut then jumped up to hug Hermione.

"I am so excited to be going out tonight! Are you ready?" Ginny asked

"Yeah let's go" Hermione managed, she was still a little concerned about the night but she knew she needed this outing more than anything in the world

"Behave yourselves" Harry warned

"We will do no such thing" Ginny said with a kiss good-bye

"I have the perfect place for us to go! It's new and classy and you will look like a goddess in the lighting" Ginny bubbled as she pulled Hermione out the door

The bar was packed to say the least, but Ginny had called ahead and gotten a table near the center of the bar.

They ordered drinks and began talking about the past months. Ginny was careful not to bring up any subject that may cause Hermione to bolt for the door. The night was going well…very well. After about 3 Magictinis the girls were having a great time.

Ginny was proud of Hermione she was even talking to men who approached her. Then Hermione tensed up and gasped for a breath. The man she was talking to took a step back and fell silent. Ginny bumped Hermione's elbow

"Mione? You ok?" Ginny whispered

"I think we should dance! Would you like to dance?" Hermione asked the man still frozen in front of her

He led her onto the dance floor and Ginny sat back into her chair, confused. She kept a close eye on Hermione but after a few songs Hermione seemed to be having a good time so Ginny relaxed and got to her 4th drink.

Suddenly she felt a tug on her arm and the last sip of her drink spilled all over her lap.

"What the hell!" Ginny said as she turned around to see Hermione looking nervously over her shoulder.

"Can we leave?" Hermione asked breathless

"Yeah what happened?" Ginny gathered her stuff and left enough money to cover the tab twice over

"I thought…I think… I..um…lets go to the Unicorn" Hermione stumbled

"Dear you are wearing a Freadrek original I don't think you will fit in at the Unicorn" Ginny took Hermione's arm and lead her from the club

"I don't care I want to go somewhere we can talk" Hermione pulled to make Ginny walk faster

"We could go home" Ginny offered

"No Harry and Ron will be there" Hermione said it as if it should be obvious to Ginny why they couldn't go home

Ginny just followed Hermione. If she had learned anything it was to let Hermione ride out her tantrums. There was nothing she could do until she knew the whole story. But as she took the last step out of the club Ginny caught a glimpse of long silvery hair tied in a green silk ribbon.

The Unicorn was a grimy bar that smelt like it hadn't been cleaned in years and the patrons didn't go there to be law abiding.

"Ok tell me what is going on" Ginny urged Hermione

"I am freaking out!" Hermione began being overly dramatic with her hand gestures

Ginny grabbed her hands and looked into Hermione's eyes "Ok so talk to me" she said

"I have been having dreams, and visions, and now I'm hallucinating" Hermione had tears building up in her eyes.

"Slower hun I don't understand" Ginny said calmly

"I am seeing a shrink I FUCKING SHRINK!!! But I don't think its working I see him everywhere" Hermione's hands broke free and she let her face fall into them

Ginny got up to sit next to her friend and put her arm around her

"Harry told me about the dreams, and Ron told me about the stories" Ginny said, Hermione looked up horrified

"You're not crazy they're just dreams and fantasies, I don't blame you he's a gorgeous man" Ginny tried to sound reassuring

"He tortured me Ginny, The man…he…" Hermione fell silent and stared at the door

Ginny looked up but nothing was there

"Ok so it's not a fantasy I would expect you to have but Harry likes me to pretend I'm McGonagall so nothing is out of range" Ginny tried to ignore the horrified look on Hermione's face

"Please just calm down lets go home and talk about this in the morning" Ginny suggested. Hermione accepted and they walked home in silence

Lucius was left in the Unicorn feeling distraught. He wasn't sure Ginny would tell Hermione he had stopped by so he followed them to the bar. Hermione however looked like she was enjoying herself and with the endless line of men at her side he thought it was best to stand back.

He wanted so badly to talk to her, to see if she was still willing to discuss that kiss. He had spent many restless nights trying to push Hermione from his mind; he was at his wits end. Maybe if they talked it through they could find a common ground. The only reason for the kiss he could come up with was that he needed her forgiveness for the awful things he had done to her. He hoped talking it through could end the dreams he had been having about her.


	8. A Dream

"I saw him everywhere I looked!" Hermione complained in a high pitch voice

"Slow down lets start from the beginning" Phan said

"Ok so I saw him when I was buying my dress" Hermione explained

"He was actually there though right?" Phan asked

"Yeah he was there, well at least the clerk saw him too, so I assume he was there. I don't know… it felt like I was standing in front of him forever, and he wouldn't stop looking at me" Hermione went on

"You said yourself the dress was beautiful what you expect a man to do" Phan pried

"No…it wasn't the dress" Hermione mumbled "Then again maybe it was"

"Let's say it was the dress. What happened after that?" Phan pushed her forward

"I went home..and….er…got ready for the evening" Hermione turned red remembering what she really did after that

Phan smiled behind her scroll and nodded for Hermione to continue

"The night was going really well. I was social and enjoying myself a lot, then I saw him in the bar, or at least I thought I did when I looked back he was gone" Hermione explained

"Maybe he was there and just left" Phan questioned

"No he was gone way too fast to have actually been there, plus I thought I saw him again at another bar later that night and he disappeared again" Hermione wasn't doing a good job of keeping the hysteria out of her voice

"Ok but you haven't had a dream in four days now so maybe this is just another manifestation. These events may take on new forms as we work through them" Phan explained

"Um …well… three days. I was good for three days but last night I…had another dream" Hermione pulled a scroll out from her purse and handed it to Professor Phan

Phan opened the parchment and began reading:

First dream in three days (after seeing Lucius in town and … at the bar)

I was in the hall outside the main library. I felt a need to go into the library but it wasn't my normal need, the books weren't the ones calling me, he was. I could hear him breathing inside slow steady breaths like someone half asleep. I figured he was reading and I was debating disturbing him.

"You do very little good standing out there" He grumbled but I could hear the smile in his voice

I walked into the room and he had a stack of books next to him as tall as the chair arm. He was reading a rather slim book and as I got closer I noticed there were more pictures than words.

"Interesting book here" He smiled at me "It's about the dark arts of SEX"

I tried to stop my body from reacting but it was worthless. I drew in a quick breath as he showed me a picture of a woman with her back arched in an upside down 'U' and a look on her face that was either extreme pleasure or excruciating pain.

"It's called the Ekstaza, a dark wizard discovered it in 1659 but it was lost for centuries. It makes a woman feel immense pleasure from head to toe" Lucius explained and took a few steps towards me. I nodded back trying to control my responses

"Would you mind if I gave it a shot" Lucius smirked and traced his wand down my jaw

My pulse gave me away as it began to race and sweat beaded on my forehead. He leaned in to kiss the line he was drawing with his wand and whispered in my ear.

"The book says it's _very_ enjoyable" Lucius hissed in my hear

"Lets not try new spells on me ok?" My voice was no where near steady and I leaned into his touch totally negating what I just said to him

"I won't hurt you" Lucius sounded cautious, and like he was trying to reassure me of something far more important than the Ekstaza spell

"I know you wouldn't mean it but new spells are dangerous, especially ones from ancient dark wizards" I smiled up at him with my eyes I wanted him to feel comfortable with me.

"Would you rather I find another witch to practice on?" Lucius asked

My heart sank into my stomach. "NO!" I barely was able to control the scream. The idea of him…with…I couldn't even think about it.

"Well then how am I going to learn?" Lucius was holding my waist in one hand and cradling my chin in his other. His face was so near to me that I wished he would stop talking and kiss me.

I closed my eyes to stop having to think about what he was asking me. I envisioned his mouth falling on mine and the soft caress of his lips. I could feel his breath in front of me and I opened my mouth to taste him. But as I did the word "Okay" escaped me.

I was too far into my fantasy to take it back. He let the hand with his wand fall from my face. He put his left hand firmly on my back and pressed his cheek to mine. I felt the rush of wind on my neck before I heard the word, but soon after his perfect Latin accent and the word EKSTAZA washed over me.

All over me. At first it was just a soft tingle but as I opened my mind to the sensation I felt it build. Like a buzz it started in my head but quickly spread to my breasts and stomach then down between my thighs to my legs.

I was aware that my knees had given out and Lucius had caught me and that he made some sort of worried comment to me but I was too far gone. The swirl worked its way from my toes making small circles to the base of my spine then to my shoulders. My nipples became so erect I was uncomfortable in my bra then a straight shot ran to my clit.

I squirmed in Lucius' arms and stretched my body out as long as I could make myself. The sensation was like a vibrator in that only something mechanical could make the movements it was making. But it was far deeper than a vibrator could ever go it was as if every nerve was being triggered at the exact moment it needed to be to make me go insane with pleasure. I felt my mouth open and a yell ripped from my lips but it sounded miles away. I felt miles away from the room that scream was coming from.

I wish I could describe the orgasm that followed but the only thing I can think of is full. Not just a clitoral orgasm but a full body orgasm.

The scroll ended there and Phan took a long sip from her water.

"Where did you learn the word Ekstaza?" Phan asked

"Read it somewhere I suppose" Hermione said gazing through her glass of water

"Well your dreams have one unusual consistency; they never have anything to do with your actual past with Lucius. Other than the setting and the man these could be normal fantasy dreams" Phan explained

"Except that I do have a history with this man and that history should mean that I hate that man!!" Hermione broke out of her daze. She hated when Phan tried to make these dreams sound perfectly normal.

"He is never threatening in the dream though, on the contrary he always asks permission" Phan said

"He never raped me. He was…physical, punches and pushing. He would make me lay naked in bed with him at night but he never crossed the line to rape" Hermione said in a small voice

"Go on" Phan knew they had made a break through. Any attempt to ask questions about her actual past with Lucius this far lead to short quick answers. She switched to short hand so she didn't miss anything.

"He was…nicer…than the other death eaters. It seemed like it was more of a show than actual cruelty. I think I had to sleep with him in case anyone barged in, they would assume he had raped me earlier" Hermione thought

Phan made an encouraging grunt

"I don't know it was complicated" Hermione finished and she went back into her closed off tone

"Well maybe these complications are what trigger you. When you try to sort them out you fall back on a less complicated explanation… for example that he had feelings for you and that's why he treated you nicer than others" Phan ventured

"That could be but I never got the feeling he even remotely liked me. I knew he despised me, he just didn't translate that into physical hatred as much" Hermione said

"Why" Phan prodded

"I don't know. It's complicated!" Hermione said

"Maybe we should try to get his side of the story" Phan ventured

"How!" Hermione sounded terrified

"Well he isn't avoiding you, he could have easily walked out of that store, so maybe you should try talking with him again" Phan suggested

Hermione thought about it for a second. The idea of seeing Lucius again made her heart leap but then sink into her gut. What would she say? What could she say? Would he kick her out again? Millions of questions swam in her mind but one caught her dead in her tracks. What if this was the only way to get rid of the dreams?

"What do you suggest I do?" Hermione said giving into Phan's expertise

Phan explained and tried to reassure Hermione. She told her she could call her at any point in the day if she needed to talk. She figured Hermione would either need to be talked into this later or talked down from it after.

______________________________________________________________________________

Ekstaza was taken from a Serbian (Latin) translation of ecstasy


	9. A Nightmare

Hermione threw another outfit on the floor. The heap of clothes was reaching dangerous heights. She couldn't decide what the appropriate attire was for barging in on a man and demanding he talk about how he tortured you and yet still look hot. She had already put on the blue dress from the bar a few times but decided it was too dressy for this, plus he had already seen her in it.

She settled for dark wash jeans, a green top with a portrait neckline and black pumps. She found the yellow earrings she wore to the bar then took a deep breath and apparated to the Malfoy Manor.

She walked right up to the front door and knocked. She couldn't waste any time, if she hesitated she would think about what she was about to do and then she'd never be able to do this.

The same house elf that she met the last time she was there greeted her. She thought the elf looked unusually clean but didn't think about it too much, she had to stay focused.

"Is Mr. Malfoy in?" Hermione said "Lucius" she added when she realized Draco was technically Mr. Malfoy too.

The elf stumbled for words but backed up to let Hermione in. She continued to back up until she was standing in a huge dinning room. The table at the center would have easily sat the entire Slytherin house but it was only set for two.

She shivered at the thought of who must have sat at that table once but then jumped at the realization that it was set for two. Draco and Lucius? No she was pretty sure Draco was in London. Then who else was eating with Lucius?

'Had he anticipated my move?' She wondered. 'Holy shit! Was this going to turn into a dinner date?!?!!!!!!' Her pulse began to race and blood flushed her face.

The thought of being on a date with Lucius began to consume her. She could see him pouring her wine and laughing at his jokes. She could imagine what it would feel like when she got towards the last bite and the next step of the night started brewing. She was so lost in her fantasy she missed the footsteps behind her.

"Ms. Granger?!" Lucius said in a shocked tone

"Mr. Malfoy!!! I..uh.." She looked from him to the table and back again

"Vesy told me you were here" He searched for words; he could feel his shirt cling to his back as he began to sweat.

Lucius was wearing a very elegant cloaked suit. There was a hint of a green silk shirt under his jacket and his hair was pulled back into a matching green ribbon. Everything about him was immaculate, even the ribbon had perfectly symmetrical loops and tails. Lucius' suit made Hermione believe her fantasy even more. He was waiting for her…

They stood staring at each other for a long time before Lucius broke the silence.

"What are you doing here" Hermione thought he sounded sad but she was not going to analyze, she HAD to stay focused

"I wanted…Need…. I need to talk to you about some things" Staying focused was proving to be extremely difficult

"I do too" He answered

Hermione was shocked. 'YES he is going to talk!' she thought. But the look in his eyes made her excitement die. 'but not about anything good crap!'

"Maybe you could stop by tomorrow…" Lucius began

"No it has taken every bit of me to get this far I need to talk now" Hermione interrupted

"Hermione" Lucius looked nervously at the front door

"I have…these… I need to talk through with you" Hermione began

"Hermione I really think tomorrow…"Lucius tried again

"NO" Hermione took a step towards him. A rage pulsed through her body she was going to be heard.

"No" She said softer "I really would like to talk now" She stared at the floor

Lucius walked over to her and pulled her chin up to meet his gaze. His eyes burned in hers, she had remembered his eyes exactly how they were and seeing them so close in person was making her stomach flip.

"I understand. I have been battling demons these past months as well and I want nothing more than to talk to you,… believe me" His voice was so quiet even the huge ball room didn't resonate an echo.

She wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and cry into his chest. His words put her so at ease she was shocked to see another set of eyes over his shoulder.

The woman looking on was gorgeous. No beyond gorgeous. She had dark brown hair flowing down to her knees and in such good shape not a single strand was out of place. The dazzling green dress would have been blinding if the room was lit with anything other than candles. _She_ was obviously here for the dinner date.

Despite her 9 inch heels she sashayed to Lucius' side with impeccable grace.

"My dear I do hope you plan on washing your hands before you eat" She said over his shoulder

Lucius turned quickly to meet the woman face to face and she impulsively leaned in for a kiss. Instead Lucius introduced the woman to Hermione and the woman smirked at Hermione's discomfort.

"How traditionalist of you to have a Mudblood serve us dinner and I heard you were losing your edge" the woman said as she played with Lucius' ponytail

"Hermione is a good friend of Draco's she was just visiting" Lucius snapped at the woman making her step back and glare at him

Lucius took Hermione's arm and walked her to the door "Please come back tomorrow" he pleaded in a whisper

All Hermione could do was nod and turn away before she started crying. She took a few steps off of the Malfoy property and apparated back home.

She sat on her bed and began to weep. 'How could I have been so dumb! Of course he didn't anticipate me coming I didn't even know I was going till I went!!! Why would he ever want me for dinner when she has women like that to choose from! I hate this I hate this I hate this I hate this'

Back at the Manor, Lucius looked after Hermione wishing she wasn't the woman leaving

"Dear should we eat?" the woman said behind Lucius

"No we are not eating you are leaving!" Lucius yelled and marched past her

"But I just got here don't you want to…" she began

"No I do not want to!" Lucius interrupted

"What is wrong with you?" She asked

"Nothing is wrong with me; you are a pretentious BITCH who can't seem to understand that times have CHANGED!!!" Lucius glared at her with fierce eyes and brows furrowed

"How dare you! My family…" She tried again

"Your family nothing! Family does NOT mean what it did. Your family is a dysfunctional heap of inbred mules who are so stuck in the past that they'll be dead by the end of the century" Lucius wished she would just leave

"They were right you are losing your edge. Making friends with Mudbloods! Insulting a family of older lineage than you! Who do you think you are?" She frantically gripped and swiped at the air with her arms.

"I am the master of this house and I am ordering you to LEAVE" With the last word she flew backwards out the front door and out of sight.

It had been so long since he built the house he had forgotten about the unwanted guest charm he placed on it ages ago. If any guest refused to leave he could send them plummeting into a muggle dump yard.

He sat down in a nearby chair and the glass next to him filled with wine. He sneered at it and smashed it with the back of his hand.

"How could you be so stupid Lucius? Did you really think Samantha was going to help you forget Hermione? Now she's never going to talk with you!" Lucius said out loud

"Master she may be back tomorrow" Vesy said while cleaning up the spilt wine

Lucius doubted it but he had to be ready.

"Vesy clear my schedule tomorrow, wake me up at 7am and have my best cloaks looking immaculate, If…_when_" he had to stay positive "Ms. Granger arrives inform me immediately and show her to the back lounge" Lucius stayed long enough to make sure Vesy heard then walked to his room.

Unfortunately sleep was not going to let him drift away tonight.


	10. A Deep Breath

Lucius paced back and forth in his study. Every slight movement sounded like Vesy coming to tell him Hermione was here, and every time it wasn't he was convinced she wouldn't come.

He tried to make some progress on his newest building project but his mind wasn't able to think about anything other than Hermione. He sat down at his desk and gave in to his thoughts.

He thought about when he saw Hermione at the bar. She was gorgeous, he had always thought so, but to see her smile was intoxicating. He envied every man who could just walk up to her and start a conversation. He knew he could never have that with her, she would always see him as a monster.

He didn't blame her. The things she had endured under him were horrific. He couldn't imagine what would bring her back to this place, but he respected her for her nerve.

He had respected her even during that week she was in his control. She could be calm in the most stressful of situations but was still able to speak her mind. She was articulate and spoke from the heart, which was what made his job so difficult.

He had to keep face with the other death eaters, make them think he was in the Dark Lords good graces and still powerful. Her screams resonated in his head as he recalled the blows he dealt her. She would always cry out for her friends and beg to see them; he had admired the trio for their loyalty.

He could see the bruises in his mind, the streaks of blood and tears running down her face. He stood up and quickly ran to the bathroom. He vigorously washed his hands and face and pushed the memories from his head. If he had ever learned how to cry he would be crying now.

He heard footsteps in the other room and ran to see who it was. Vesy stood in the middle of the room with a tray of food.

"Master should eat something. Master has been having bad memories again" Vesy said as she set the tray on the table

"It's ok Vesy, any word from Ms. Granger?" Lucius asked

"No" Vesy was arranging the plates of food on Lucius' desk

"That'll do" Lucius dismissed Vesy with a wave of his hand

She wasn't coming. He had to face it. He had trashed any hope of apologizing to her.

He wasn't sure where to go from here. He had tried seeing other women, even sleeping with them. He had tried talking to his son about Hermione but it only left him wanting to see her more.

He found some relief when Draco told him Hermione didn't hold any grudges, but he wished he could talk to her face to face and tell her the truth about those nights. That he never wanted to hurt her.

His stomach began to flip as the memories turned up in him again.

______________________________________________________________________________

Professor Phan hadn't heard from Hermione for two days. She expected a phone call yesterday telling her what happened with Lucius and when she got through another day with no word she was worried.

She dismissed her last class early and made a quick trip to Hermione's house. Harry answered the door.

"I'm here to talk to Hermione Granger" Phan told Harry

"Um…well I haven't seen her in a few days" Harry explained

"Can you tell me where she is?" Phan asked

"Oh she's here, she's just locked herself in her room" Harry answered

"I think I should check on her" Phan pushed herself past Harry, she was really worried now

The first three knocks produced no answer

"Hermione I will use force to get in there" Phan yelled through the door. She heard the lock click and she pushed the door open.

White clouds of Kleenex covered the floor. There was no sign of Hermione but a soft whimpering gave Professor Phan a hunch she was buried under a pile of clothes and blankets. She stripped away a few layers and found the back of Hermione's head.

"Aww dear you should eat something" Phan said

Hermione held up a crusty bagel with one bite out of it.

"Can I get you something to drink" Phan went on

Hermione held up an empty bottle of wine. Professor Phan couldn't help but snicker as she walked to Hermione's bathroom for a cup of water.

"Here this will help" Phan said as she slipped a hangover potion into the water

"He wasn't alone" Hermione managed to say after a few minutes

"You went to see him then" Phan asked

"Yes I went to see him' Hermione said finally looking at Phan. Her eyes were so sunken and red Phan drew back. She never thought Hermione could look so ugly.

"Oh my dear! You poor thing. Lets get you cleaned up and sort out your room and you just blurt out whatever comes to mind" Phan said and began picking up clothes from the floor

It was a good plan, during the course of the cleaning spree Phan heard every detail about the encounter with Lucius. She could see this situation was getting desperate and she was going to have to pull some tricks out of her bag to resolve this.

After the room was looking less like a war zone and more like a bed room Phan told Hermione to stop by her office first thing Saturday morning.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ok a short one to start the night off.

Loveismagic~ Thanks for sticking with me I'm glad you are liking it

Kleipoppetje~ Yeah the updated are fast. I had a free weekend for once in my life and wanted some me and Lucius time ;)


	11. Scarfs and Desks

The next day Phan got to work early and placed a long box on the edge of her desk. She had spent the night going through Hermione's file trying to pick out anything she might have missed.

"Professor Phan?" Hermione asked in a small voice

"Oh dear! I didn't hear you come in. Sit down" Phan pointed to the usual chair and Hermione sat softly

"You look…better today" Phan lied. In truth Hermione still looked terrible. Her eyes were still puffy and her hair was a mess

Hermione just nodded and looked at her feet

"Hermione I had hoped we could work through this without it taking a turn for the worst. I have tried going through every dream you ever had to find a link to something but I can't seem to find one. I'm afraid we only have one course of action" Phan walked around to the front of her desk and placed a hand on the box sitting there.

"In this box is a scarf charmed as a sort of port key. It will take you to the place you need to be the most." Phan opened the box and showed Hermione a glittering purple scarf

Hermione reached to touch the scarf but Phan pulled it away

"Think about it first. I have no clue where this will take you or when" Phan looked slightly worried

"When? It may take me back in time?" Hermione asked

"Yes or forward, but I wouldn't bring this out if I didn't think it was necessary" Phan reassured

Hermione thought on it. She thought about the worst place the scarf could take her. Could she go back to that time? Would it be worse to face that or live the rest of her life with these dreams?

Hermione reached out and grabbed the scarf. Her arm pulled hard on the rest of her body, and she suddenly felt like she was being pulled through a long corridor. Then she saw colors begin to swirl up ahead and her feet hit a floor.

She had to stand and wait for the room to settle, but when it did she felt sick. There in front of her was Lucius sitting with his head down, at a desk full of day old plates of food. She looked around for any sign of the date. Everything looked timeless but she caught a glimpse of a calendar on the desk.

Hermione let out a sigh of relief; she was still in the present. Lucius looked up to see who had made the noise.

"Ms. Granger!" he stood up so quickly his chair fell over backwards

Hermione's mouth was suddenly dry; all she could do was stand there and stare

"I didn't think you would come" Lucius continued

"I wasn't going to come. I was…brought here" Hermione looked down at the scarf

"Well I'm glad you're here" He walked around to the front of his desk "I'm so sorry about the other night. Samantha was completely out of line"

"I would have been upset too if another woman showed up to my date before me" Hermione replied. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy

"She's no longer welcome here, I made her leave right after you did" Lucius explained.

He thought she looked amazing. He laughed that her hair was just as free spirited as she was but he could see she had been crying.

"That's a beautiful scarf" Lucius said trying to break the ice. "Is it cashmere?" he reached out to touch the scarf.

"No!....It's a port key. It's what brought me here" Hermione didn't want to explain too much

"I don't remember authorizing a port key into my office" Lucius said

"It…um…takes a person to the place they need to be the most" Hermione was embarrassed to admit she needed to be here

"Interesting" Lucius reached out again this time taking an edge of the scarf in his hand

Hermione flinched and dropped the scarf expecting Lucius to be pulled from the room, but nothing happened. Lucius stood in front of her with a slight smirk on his face and a glow behind his eyes that made her heart flutter.

"I…I…uh guess it only works for certain people" Hermione was getting extremely embarrassed. She didn't want him to think she was a liar.

"Or maybe this is exactly where I'm supposed to be" Lucius said in his usual velvety tone

Hermione's legs buckled under her. Lucius quickly caught her and Hermione found herself in Lucius' arms, the man she had been fantasizing about for months was inches from her. She had no control left.

She pulled herself up and pushed her lips against his. After all the dreams this was all she could imagine. He held her close and she felt his warmth surround her.

Then the passion took a step up. Lucius lifted her off her feet and placed her on his desk. She spread her knees apart so he could stand as close as possible. He put one hand behind her head and the other on her thigh.

They spent a few more moments in the fit of passion. Hermione was lost in his grip and wasn't going to let reason interfere with this moment. She wanted this more than any other encounter with any other man in her life. She moved her hands to Lucius' chest and unfastened his cloak. It fell from his shoulders and she began working on his shirt.

His chest was perfect and she traced the dips and curves with her fingers, but that wasn't enough. She reluctantly pulled her lips away from Lucius' and tasted his neck. His musk filled her nose and she began nibbling his ear.

"Hermione are you sure?" Lucius asked

"Yes" Hermione replied

She let her tongue follow her fingers and she made a trail to the waist of his pants. When she was on her knees in front of him she looked up at him.

"Are you sure?" she teased

"I'm only as sure as you are" Lucius replied

Hermione un buttoned his pants and pulled them down to his ankles. She laughed to see he wore muggle brand boxers. She looped her fingers over the waist band and slowly revealed his erect penis.

She licked her lips and placed her hand at its base. She slid it into her mouth and felt it pulse at the warmth. She shifted her weight more evenly on her knees and licked the head of his penis in small circles. She slid the full length of his shaft into her mouth and heard him pull in a quick breath. She used his breathing and the occasional moan to guide her. He reacted the most when she used a little suction while pulling back.

"Ok" Lucius said breathlessly "I don't want you to bruise your knees"

Hermione stood back up, feeling the blood flow back into her feet. She hadn't even noticed they were falling asleep. She wobbled a little and Lucius caught her again.

He let his lips fall on hers and he leaned to let her sit on his desk. He whispered something and Hermione felt the cold Brazilian rosewood against the naked skin of her butt. Lucius had a telling smirk on his face.

"Magic makes everything easier…..and faster" He added the last as he slipped his middle finger into her wet pussy.

He rubbed her clit with his thumb and slowly massaged her g-stop with his finger. Hermione let her head roll back into his other hand and he kissed her exposed neck.

The things she had heard about him as a lover didn't do him justice. He began to lower himself but she stopped him

"No I want you now" Hermione moaned

"You're sure" Lucius checked

Hermione looked him in the eyes, "I have been dreaming about this for too long" she whispered

Lucius kissed her tenderly and moved so they touched from shoulder to shoulder, neck to waist. He slide inside her and she realized she was actually not ready for him. Her back arched and her head fell backwards.

"Okay?" Lucius asked

"Yes" Hermione lifted her head to look into his eyes

He pulled back a bit and then inched back inside her. She relaxed to let herself shape around him. She tried to quickly count the months since the last time she had sex but his breathing kept her from concentrating. So she decided to give in and listen to him.

He was so even and meticulous with his breath it made the moment feel so real. Then it hit her, this was real, she was here…with him. She opened her eyes just to make sure and found him staring back at her.

She wrapped her arms around him, and then pulled him in tight driving him deeper inside. He pushed her flat on the desk shoving platters of food out of the way. He put one knee on the desk and found a rhythm in and out of her. She never closed her eyes. She wanted to see every second of this… live and in person.

His cadence got faster and faster and the strokes got longer. He moved his right hand to massage her clit. His breath lost its evenness and she could feel it in hot bursts on her neck. Her body quickly heated and she found his lips to kiss him as she felt the orgasm overpower her.

He could feel her muscles fluidly contracting. He tried to ride it out but he was so snug inside of her he could feel every twitch. She bit down hard on his lower lip and he lost control. He pulled out as fast as he could and used his thumb to slowly bring her down from her orgasm.

He lay there on top of her listening to her heart rate slow for a lifetime. His breath regained its symmetry and he lifted his head to look at her.

"Why did you pull out?" She asked still breathless

"I think a child would only complicate our situation" He replied softly

They both smiled. Hermione had completely forgotten there was even a 'situation' to think about. She felt so fulfilled and content. But she agreed with him.

He pulled her upright and said a few cleaning charms before he bent down to refasten his pants.

"You didn't send mine to Russia did you?" Hermione teased

"No they are folded on the chair" He pointed to a chair on the exact opposite side of the room.

By making her walk over to get them she knew he was hoping for one last show. She gave him a sinister smile then summoned them to her.

"Wandless magic! I wasn't that good at it till I was well into my 30's" Lucius said impressed

"I have always been advanced for my age" Hermione smiled as she dressed herself

"I noticed" Lucius put both hands on the small of her back and kissed her forehead

Hermione let her cheek touch his still bare chest

"Why did you say you hade been 'dreaming about this for too long'?" Lucius asked still holding her tight, so he felt very clearly when she tensed up "Hermione I know you came here to talk to me, and it was selfish of me to let you get sidetracked. Please tell me"

There was a smile on his face but his eyes held nothing but concern.

"I have been having dreams about you…very erotic dreams. I've been trying to figure them out but no one seems to know the cause" Hermione explained

"No one?" Lucius asked

"I have been talking with a psychology professor at my university. She is the one who gave me the scarf" Hermione answered

"Ah…well I can see where that would worry you" Lucius lifted her chin to kiss her "I have a confession to make; I haven't been able to stop thinking about you either. When Draco began seeing you regularly I began thinking you might forgive me too. Then after our encounter in my library I let my thoughts run away with me and I envisioned us as lovers. Unfortunately for me that thought has just about consumed me. That little blue number in town did nothing to help either" Lucius laughed and kissed Hermione again

Hermione couldn't believe how relieved she was to hear this. She would have thought him having feelings for her would make things worse and far more weird but something in her felt so comforted she didn't make any attempt to sort it out.

Well this was sort of an important chapter so I have been worried about putting it up in case I left something out. But I really need to get to bed so here it is.

Kleipoppetje~ HAHAHA I agree Lucius time is amazing.

Loveismagic~ It is nice to have people to talk to. Thanks for reviewing


	12. Insight

Hermione woke up the next morning with a slight fear that last night didn't happen but the pain between her legs told her it did.

Lucius was a formidable man. She lost her virginity to Ron and she thought she was getting a pretty good deal but Lucius proved that wrong. She got dressed and walked with a skip to professor Phan's office.

When she got there she heard her talking to a man so she dawdled a bit in the lounge not wanting to interrupt anything important.

"Hermione how long have you been here" Phan asked in an irritated tone

"A few minutes but I can wait" Hermione replied

"Wait why would you wait? Get in here" Phan had a funny look in her eye like she was luring Hermione into a trap.

All it took was to walk through the door to see what the trap was. Lucius stood with a huge grin on his face, and in a very strange outfit. It looked to Hermione like Lucius had not bothered dressing this morning and was still in his pajamas.

"You forgot this" Lucius held up the scarf" "I picked it up this morning and I was wisped away here"

Hermione's face reddened as she reached for the scarf.

"Don't touch that" Phan screamed "Who knows where you would end up. Mr. Malfoy if you could please place the scarf back in the box. Thank you. Now why don't you two have a seat?" Phan said taking a seat behind her desk.

"So I see you two have talked. I had hoped to get the details from Hermione alone but seeing as you are here Mr. Malfoy we can do a group session." Phan settled herself in

Hermione cringed at the word session she hoped Lucius didn't feel trapped but he winked at her and got comfortable in the chair next to her.

"Hermione could you tell me how your meeting with Mr. Malfoy went" Phan began

"Well…..uh….it wasssssss GOOD" Hermione managed

Lucius snorted beside her and she glared at him

"We didn't really get very far into things" Hermione quickly added.

"What did you get into?" Phan asked

Lucius full out laughed this time and Phan began to see the point.

"Mr. Malfoy do you understand the reason Hermione came to you?" Phan asked

"She told me she was having erotic dreams about me" Lucius sounded very proud and Hermione sunk into her seat.

"and how did that make you feel?" Phan added

"I was relieved. The thought of her had been driving me mad too over the last few days and to hear her say she was having the same thoughts took a huge weight off my shoulders" Lucius explained

"I see we are more on the same page than I could have hoped. I'd like to ask some questions to get to the depths of this problem. They will be hard to answer especially with the other party present but it will serve two purposes. One I can hear both sides at once and two you will hear how each other feels. So I need you to be completely honest" Phan explained

Lucius put his hand on top of Hermione's and smiled at her. She couldn't run now this was going to happen and every muscle in her body was tightening in that realization.

"I'd like to start from the beginning" Phan checked to see that they were both listening "Hermione, when you first met Mr. Malfoy how did you feel about him?"

'crap' Hermione thought. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tried to push Lucius from her mind, but his hand was so warm on top of hers. She opened her eyes for a second to give Lucius an apologetic look and pulled her hand out from under his.

"He was evil." Hermione began "He was at the center of Voldemort's work. I guess I never gave him much thought past that. His associations were all I needed to know" Hermione felt awful for saying all this

"What did his associations tell you about him" Phan pushed

"That he was evil, I assumed he had no heart and didn't care about anything other than power." Hermione went on

"Good. Mr. Malfoy?" Phan asked

"She's right" Lucius replied in a matter of fact tone

"No how did you feel about her" Phan corrected

"That she was a snobby, worthless, know-it-all mudblood" Lucius replied

"Hermione I asked him to be honest" Phan said responding to Hermione's look of shock

"It's not the words it's how easy it was for him to say" Hermione said staring at Lucius

"Hermione I was ordered to see a specialist after the war. It was part of the deal that let me dodge Azkaban." Lucius explained taking her hand in his again

Now Hermione felt ganged up on. She was the only one who was new to the whole psycho analysis thing.

"So it's safe to say you two where on the opposite side of the fight." Phan summed up

They both laughed at the simplicity of her statement

"What do you think about Mr. Malfoy now Hermione?" Phan continued

Hermione was glad Professor Phan didn't ask her how she 'felt' about Lucius. That was a question she would have to think long and hard about….later

"He's changed. He's doing great things with his money, and he is being a great father to Draco" Hermione said

"and Mr. Malfoy have your thoughts of Hermione changed?" Phan asked

"Yes" Lucius said and squeezed Hermione's hand "She is an amazing woman, intelligent, articulate, and beautiful"

Phan couldn't help but smile, the man had a way with words she would give him that.

"Hermione when did your thoughts about Lucius change?" Phan said after a few moments

Hermione thought back. She tried to find the last time she thought of Lucius as an enemy.

"Well I guess it's complicated. I wouldn't have considered talking to him until Draco and I reconciled. Draco told me about the projects his father was funding, including rebuilding Hogwarts and I began to think Lucius had turned himself around. But I…guess I began to change my perception of him the time I was a prisoner in his house" Hermione explained

"How did your ideas change then?" Phan asked

"I felt like he wasn't really interested in the games the other death eaters played. He was different with alone than when other death eaters were around. It made me feel like he was just putting on a show for them to keep his footing in the group" Hermione explained

"Mr. Malfoy what was your state of mind at that time" Phan asked

"I was losing face with the Dark Lord, mostly because I disagreed with him recruiting younger and younger death eaters. I couldn't leave though. At the time Voldemort was killing naysayers and hunting down anyone who tried to defect. I had to stay; I had to protect my family. When they brought me Hermione I knew what was expected of me. I knew if I didn't treat her badly they would question my loyalties. If they thought I wasn't doing my job they'd punish my family and give Hermione to someone else to deal with" Lucius voice was getting weak. He turned to look at Hermione "Hermione I promise you everything that I did was the bear minimum to keep you with me. I was afraid that with anyone else you would be killed"

Hermione's heart leapt, 'to keep you with me', he did care.

"Mr. Malfoy why did you do the bear minimum? Wouldn't it have been better for your standing to kill Hermione and prove your loyalty?" Phan asked

"My loyalties weren't with the Dark Lord anymore then. I was just riding it out and hoping the other side would win soon. I tried my best to stay on my feet with in the ranks and that's it." Lucius explained

"When did you start seeing Hermione in a new light" Phan asked

"That week she was with me. She was so brave and could stay calm in the most stressful situations. Her loyalty to her friends was amazing, and she was smart and observant and…well gorgeous." Lucius smiled at Hermione

Phan was pleased to see things falling into place finally.

"Mr. Malfoy you have been very helpful, but I would like to speak to Hermione for a bit" Phan said

"Absolutely, I'd like to change out of my night clothes anyway" He looked at Hermione "Can I call on you later?"

"Dinner would be nice" Hermione suggested

"Dinner it is. Should I come by your house?" Lucius asked

"No, I need some time to tell Harry and Ron" Hermione replied

"Why don't you meet me outside the Rendezvous at 7pm" Lucius suggested

"I'll be there" They had a little bit of awkwardness trying to decide if a hug was enough of a goodbye but Lucius let her go and left through a nearby fireplace.

"Well that was very encouraging" Phan said

"I suppose" Hermione said back. She still wasn't sure what she was going to do about Lucius.

"Hermione this is what I saw. I saw two people who have shared a common traumatic experience and come to the same conclusion. That their time together was worth more than just a passing moment." Phan explained

"But it wasn't the same experience, He was in control and I was helpless" Hermione said annoyed

"Hermione you weren't listening. He was helpless too. I agree he could have made more of an effort to protect you but he did everything he was willing to do" Phan explained

"I still don't see how this explains my dreams" Hermione said

"Mr. Malfoy was the epitome of evil in your mind. He was everything you spent your developing years fighting against. Now he's changed. He has become what you ultimately worked for. It seems completely normal to me that you would feel a pull towards him, just like an artist feels pride in their masterpiece" Phan explained

Hermione wanted to laugh but as she thought about it it fell into place. She was proud of Lucius. Not only that but she realized he had been her protector and what girl doesn't want that.

"But…"Hermione began

"Hermione I doubt this will ever make sense. War doesn't make sense and the things we experience during them make even less sense. The only thing we can do now is to listen to one another and try to find common ground. My suggestion is to stop thinking" Phan interrupted

Hermione understood that. Last night she had let go of reason and experienced the best sex of her life. Maybe if she let go of that same tendency to over reason her relationship with Lucius she could…have something more.

Kleipoppetje~ I agree it was about time. You have no clue how hard it was to keep the tension going so long. Hopefully they will be more impulsive from now on ;)

Loveismagic~ I think a few dates could happen


	13. Rendezvous

Ginny was sitting in the front room when Hermione got home.

"Hey, I was beginning to worry" Ginny said

"I was just at Professor Phan's" Hermione explained

"How did it go?" Ginny asked

Hermione hadn't told anyone about her time with Lucius, but needed an outside opinion. All the technical talk sounded too sterile to Hermione, so she decided to let Ginny in on the action.

"I need to talk to you. Are the boys home?" Hermione asked

"No they went to that conference in London. What is it?" Ginny felt worried

Hermione explained the previous night and the session with Lucius.

"Wait you had sex with Lucius last night….and you waited till now to tell me!!!!" Ginny couldn't believe her friend would keep something like that from her

"I wasn't sure how to explain it" Hermione said

"I don't care about explanations! I want details!!!" Ginny replied

"Ginny this more than just sex, what am I going to do on this date tonight?" Hermione asked

"WHOA!! You're going on a date with him tonight!! Hermione we have to go shopping!" Ginny jumped up to get her coat

"Ginny please sit and listen" Hermione pleaded

Ginny sat down and looked her friend in the eyes. "Hermione you have been practically celibate since you and Ron broke up. Why not go on some dates have some fun?" She asked

"Because there are strings attached, a past" Hermione replied

"What did you tell me when I couldn't get over my depression? That we can't let the past decide how we live in the present." Ginny said

That was a zinger. Hermione had said that and she was proud of herself for living by it so far. This was a huge speed bump to her theory. Could she look at Lucius and not think about the past? She had forced Ginny to face and get over her funk so she knew she had to try.

"If you don't give this your all I'm going to ride you nonstop like you did me" Ginny said

"WHOA can I watch!" Harry asked as he hung up his coat

Ron made a gagging sound and ran to the kitchen.

"Your home early!" Ginny replied with a kiss

"Convention was canceled due to lack of participation. Apparently no one cares about wizard chess anymore" Harry said glumly

"Well we're going out shopping. No clue when we'll be back" Ginny said as she grabbed Hermione's arm and dragged her out the door.

"I know the perfect place just outside of London, we can side-along" Ginny said

"Sure" Hermione said and grabbed Ginny's arm for the trip

They ended up on a swanky street with nothing but fashion stores up both sides. Ginny quickly got them both a butter beer and explained to Hermione the plan.

"Ok we'll walk down the street and take note of which stores we want to go into, and while we do that you will give me every detail about last night" Ginny winked at her friend

It took awhile for Hermione to open up but once she did she realized how badly she needed a girl's day out. They giggled and gasped and shopped for hours.

"Hermione that's the dress" Ginny said with her mouth wide open

"It doesn't look to desperate" Hermione asked looking at herself in the mirror

"You don't even have any cleavage!" Ginny pointed out

"But an inch lower and I would in the back!!" Hermione pointed out. Ginny laughed

The dress was green. They both agreed green was a good color since Lucius was a Slytherin. It had a higher neckline but the swooping back held all the allure. The hem came down to dust the floor with a modest train. There was some beading detail but it was a minimalist dress.

"OH SHIT! It's too expensive Ginny" Hermione exclaimed

"No don't look at the price I'm paying to dress you today" Hermione moved to protest "No you helped me through a very difficult time and through some terrible demons. I want you to feel so good tonight that you won't let anything pass you by." Ginny explained

Hermione tried to protest a few more times but Ginny handed a card to the store clerk and the dress was hers. They then went to find shoes that would enhance Hermione's seductive walk and jewelry to make her look posh.

"Ginny thank you. Today was amazing, exactly what I needed." Hermione said as Ginny worked on putting Hermione's hair in some sort of order.

"Hun you deserve this more than anyone I know. Can you do something for me?" Ginny asked cautiously

"I will not take pictures!" Hermione asked

"Dang…. No that's not what I wanted to ask" She stopped working, put both hands on Hermione's shoulders and stared at her in the mirror.

"I know you're scared of what might come with Lucius, but please, under no circumstances, ditch him because of who he was" Ginny said

"I promise, I may need you to smack me a few times but I'm going to give this a shot" Hermione answered

"Good. Now about those pictures" The girls spend the next few hours laughing like they were back at Hogwarts.

7 o'clock came faster than Hermione expected and with every tick of the clock another butterfly began flying inside her.

Ginny desperately wanted to drop her off but Hermione needed time to settle her head before she saw Lucius. The night was cool and she was glad she had opted for a coat. She was upset when she got to the restaurant early, she hated waiting alone.

"Hermione" Came from behind her

Lucius was already there and Hermione had to catch her breath. She was relieved Ginny had made her buy a new dress, nothing that she owned before could have let her stand next to Lucius and not look frumpy. She smirked that his shirt was slightly tighter than his normal attire. He was trying too.

"You look amazing. Here let me take your coat" Lucius said stepping behind her to take her coat.

Lucius pulled the coat from her shoulders then had to catch himself when the back of her dress never appeared. Her entire back was exposed and he realized he hadn't seen her back the night before, heck he hadn't even seen her breasts. He laughed.

"Is something funny" Hermione asked feeling self conscious

"This little number almost gave me a heart attack" Lucius said placing his hand on her naked back

He directed her to a nearby table. It was set with beautiful flowers and candles. He poured two glasses of wine and set one in front of her.

"To new beginnings" Lucius said as he raised his glass

"Here, here" Hermione replied with a grin

The waiter quickly came to take their orders and left with just as much haste. Hermione had seen the Malfoy effect before with Draco but it was intensified ten fold with Lucius. Everyone in the restaurant was looking out of the corner of their eyes. She could only imagine what they were thinking seeing Lucius Malfoy and Hermione Granger sitting sipping wine together.

Hermione didn't care though. Lucius was making her feel like a million dollars. He would touch her arm and push hair out of her face. She reciprocated by drawing circles on the top of his hand and playing footsie under the table.

"That meal was amazing" Hermione said

"The duck was a little dry" Lucius replied

"Don't ruin this for me, I may not get another chance to come back here" Hermione said

"Not if I have anything to say about it" Lucius smiled and got up to pull Hermione's chair out for her

"Don't you have to pay?" Hermione asked

"They have my tab" Lucius replied

"What kind of man keeps a tab at the most expensive restaurant in town?" Hermione laughed

"A very very VERY wealthy one" Lucius said softly into her ear

He kissed her tenderly on the lips and Hermione could hear gasps coming from the tables around them.

"I really don't want this night to end" Hermione said out loud

"It doesn't have to. I hoped we could catch a movie" Lucius suggested

"Lucius Malfoy goes to the movies?" Hermione was shocked

"Well I never said we were going to a public showing" Lucius smirked "Could we maybe leave the jacket off?" Lucius asked with a wink

"No it's too cold out there" Hermione said

"I'd keep you warm" Lucius promised but Hermione had already gotten both arms in the coat and hugged it tight to her

Lucius made a poor attempt at looking mad and opened the door for her. He didn't give up trying to keep her warm though. As they walked he kept his arm around her and held her tight.

The building they stopped in front of was the oldest theater Hermione had ever seen, but it was gorgeous. Gold framed elegant paintings on every wall, the ceiling was impossibly high and just as detailed.

"Lucius this is….amazing" Hermione said in aww

"Well I hope you like romantic comedies" Lucius replied and kissed her on the neck

She couldn't believe how much of a cheese he could be. This man, who once was second hand to the most deadly wizard in the world, was going to watch a romantic comedy with her. She had to catch her breath after the last thought. It was the first time during the whole date she had thought about his death eater days. She had made it through an entire dinner with Lucius now…not Lucius then.

She stopped walking and pulled his arm so he had to turn around to face her. She cupped his face in her hands and brought his face down to hers. She kissed him with everything she had. He wrapped her in his arms and returned every bit of passion.

"We should get into the theater before we get too far" Lucius said

They walked into a theater which was even more intricately decorated and found a seat at the very center.

"Can I help you with your jacket" Lucius asked in an eager voice

Hermione smiled and turned so he could take her jacket. He pulled it slowly off of her shoulders and kissed the back of her neck, then threw the coat over the back of a chair. He traced the dip in her spin with the back of his index finger and followed his movement with his eyes.

Hermione leaned back into Lucius and he placed his other arm around her. He moved her hair to kiss her neck.

"You smell remarkable" Lucius whispered in her ear before nibbling on it

Hermione turned around to face Lucius. "Is there a movie involved in all of this" She asked, but she regretted bringing it up because he immediately let her go and sat down.

"I almost forgot" Lucius replied

"We could forget" Hermione said sitting down next to him and leaning over the arm of the chair.

Lucius leaned in to kiss Hermione then signaled the projector to start the movie. The lights went down and the movie began. Hermione sighed and gave in. She sat back in her seat and watched the opening credits until she felt the chair she was sitting in shift beneath her.

"That's much more comfortable" Lucius said putting his wand back in his cloak. He had transformed their two chairs into one, very comfortable, love seat. Hermione moved to sit against Lucius and he put his arm around her shoulder.

The movie played for a few minutes and Lucius was using every inch of control to keep from ripping Hermione's dress off. Hermione on the other hand was not doing as well.

She let her hand wander to his thigh and let her weight fall more firmly on his chest. Lucius pushed her hair over her far shoulder and breathed in her perfume. Hermione turned to face Lucius nose to nose. That pushed Lucius over the edge.

He grabbed Hermione's face and kissed her. It was exactly the reaction Hermione was hoping for and she let her tongue taste his lips. He wasn't about to be out done and pushed his tongue into her willing mouth.

In the furry of the kiss one shoulder of Hermione's dress fell, reveling her breast. Lucius pulled her close and took her nipple in his mouth.

Hermione gasp at the warmth of his mouth and the talent of his tongue. She slipped the other shoulder off and let the dress fall to her waist. Lucius picked Hermione up and placed her on his lap and he kissed her while he massaged her breast.

"If I had known that dress would come off so easily we would have never made it past the salads" Lucius admitted

They continued to writhe in each others arms. Hermione pulled up the hem of her dress so she could straddle Lucius and he let his hands wander up her thighs.

"Lean back" Lucius said

Hermione supported herself on the backs of the chairs in front of them. Lucius pulled her panties aside and licked his thumb. He began making circles around her clit with his thumb and flicking her nipples with his other hand.

He watched Hermione buck against the air and when she was sufficiently wet he slipped two fingers inside her hot folds.

In the position she was in Hermione had very limited movement. She had to depend on Lucius' ability and she was not disappointed. She thought for a second he might be using Legilimency on her but she only had a second to consider it before she felt a tingle building in her gut.

She tried to move to stop herself from cumming so quickly but the orgasm washed over her anyways. Her elbows wriggled and she had to fling herself onto Lucius to keep from falling. He was caught between her breasts but she didn't have the brain power to worry about suffocating him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pin you down" She said when she had caught her breath

"I wasn't objecting" Lucius said and pulled her in for a kiss

She slipped off of his lap and pulled the straps of her dress up.

"Can we watch the movie now?" Lucius asked

"At least the next 15 minutes" Hermione replied

_______________________________________________

It's Monday and I have to get back to my real professors and books. I will do everything in my power to at least get a chapter up here everyday.

Loveismagic~ I would love to be in any situation with Lucius

Kleipoppetje~ Don't worry there is still some drama brewing


	14. Coming Clean

Hermione met Lucius for lunch between classes during the week. She had been to all the best restaurants in London and even a few in Paris. She was enjoying spending time with him but she was still avoiding telling Harry and Ron that she was seeing Lucius.

Hermione knew she had to tell them separately so they wouldn't gang up on her, and she couldn't do it any place public in case they freaked out. Then again having people around might keep them from freaking out. She had to figure something out fast because people had started talking in certain circles and it was only a matter of time before her friends found out.

She asked Lucius if she could use his private theater to break the news to tell Harry in. She scheduled a showing at a time she knew Ron wouldn't be able to go and prepared herself for the rampage.

_At the Theater_

"I can't believe you got permission to view this movie early. Where did you find this place?" Harry said as he picked a seat

"Lucius brought me here" Hermione braced herself

"WHAT! I thought he kept you cooped up in his room the whole time" Harry exclaimed thinking Hermione was talking about the time Lucius held her captive.

"No he brought me here a few nights ago" Hermione corrected

"Why?" Harry was confused

"Well, we are…sort of……….dating" Hermione saw Harry's face fall

"Hermione what are you thinking!?" Harry jumped out of his chair

"I'm thinking that I like him and want to get to know him" Hermione said

"You know him! We all know him! How is this going to look to the world if one of the trio starts buddying up with a DEATH EATER! They'll think we've all gone soft" Harry yelled

"Soft on a man who is rebuilding Hogwarts and doing everything he can to prove his alliances?" Hermione pointed out

"Exactly! He's trying too hard" Harry began

"And if he was doing any less you would say he isn't trying hard enough" Hermione interrupted

"and you know why? Because he's a DEATH EATER!!" Harry yelled

"The ministry says he's safe. Are you going to say the minister was WRONG to let him go?" Hermione yelled back

"And if the ministry said to jump off a bridge…." Harry said

"Oh good Harry lets be 12 about this" Hermione interrupted

"Your acting like your 12 with some silly little crush" Harry yelled

"Is that such a bad thing?" Hermione asked

"When your crush is evil yes!" Harry pointed out

"Harry I'm doing this and I thought I would be a good friend and tell you before the tabloids did" Hermione said and stomped out of the theater

"Yeah I can't wait to see what the tabloids say!" Harry yelled after her. He shuttered to think what they would actually say.

_Near Bougrich Hall_

Hermione was steamed. She knew Harry would be mad but she had gone out of her way to put him in a good mood before telling him and he didn't even appreciate that. She thought the hell with it she was already in a bad mood she might as well break the news to Ron too.

She walked to the building Ron was taking his test in and waited for him to be done. She was glad Ron was a slow test taker; it gave her a chance to cool down before he came out of the building.

"Hermione! I thought you took Harry to that preview" Ron said when he saw Hermione sitting on the steps

"Things came up. Can we go get something to drink?" Hermione asked

"YES! That test kicked my ass" Ron needed a drink

They walked to a nearby bar and found a table in a corner. The place was relatively empty but Hermione was happy for the few people there. She hoped it would keep Ron from freaking out.

"Ron the real reason I took Harry to the theater was to tell him I have been dating Lucius" Hermione didn't see any point in beating around the bush

"I know" Ron said in a bummed voice

"How do you know?" Hermione asked

"I picked up The Quibbler before class today and you two were on the front of the entertainment page" Ron pulled the paper out of his bag and showed Hermione a picture of Lucius looking into her eyes.

"Oh I didn't even realize they'd taken our picture" Hermione's insides knotted as she took in how Lucius was looking at her in the picture. He was such a gorgeous man; it didn't seem plausible he would be looking at her like that.

"Well I would say you were pretty…… distracted" Ron said

"You're not mad?" Hermione asked "You're not going to tell me I'm an idiot?"

"No….I'm just….disappointed" Ron said looking into his glass

"Oh" Hermione felt like crap. She expected yelling but disappointed? That was rough

"Not with you!!" Ron corrected realizing his mistake "With me. I have been hoping we could get past our issues and be together again"

"Ron I'm SO sorry" Hermione replied. She wanted to hug him or hold his hand but she knew it would only make things worse.

"It's not your fault; I should have been more open with you about it. I guess I was just holding onto the past" Ron said "Do you love him?"

Hermione choked oh her drink. It wasn't a question she thought she would have to answer anytime soon "Well not right now" she managed

"But you could?" Ron pushed

"I suppose it's a possibility" Hermione really wanted this line of questioning to end "Ron you know you will always be my first love, and I will always compare him to you"

Ron snorted "How could I ever compare to Lucius Malfoy?"

"Ron you were the best" Hermione reassured him

"Not compared to what I hear about Lucius" Ron said then mumbled 'nine inches' under his breath

"Ron I'm not talking about sex. We were friends, partners in crime, in love" Hermione reaches out and grabs Ron's hand

"We had some good times didn't we?" Ron smiled

"And we still will just not as a couple" Hermione reminds him

"Maybe you can find me some hot, rich heiress to marry" Ron joked

"I'll keep my eyes pealed" Hermione laughed

They spent the rest of the afternoon reminiscing and catching up. Hermione was relieved Ron took the news so well. Even though she was sad Ron hadn't gotten over their past relationship.

_At the Apartment_

"You knew!!" Harry threw his hands up in the air

"Yeah I took her shopping for that dress" Ginny said as she threw a copy of The Quibbler on the table

"Ginny how can you condone this?" Harry asked

"What's so wrong with it? They're having a good time" Ginny said

Harry gagged at the thought of how much fun

"Harry think of all the crazy shit you made her go along with. She's put up with far weirder and more dangerous things over the years" Ginny pointed out

"But you can't think she means this to be serious….. do you?" Harry asked

"Who cares we should be supportive either way" Ginny said walking over to Harry and looking him square in the eyes "Tell you what if he breaks her heart you can throw him in Azkaban"

"Oh I will" Harry said and kissed Ginny

Harry heard Hermione laughing as she came in the door. He figured he owed her an apology so he walked out to the front room to meet her.

When Hermione saw Harry come around the corner her stomach dropped through the floor. She had pushed her encounter with Harry out of her mind. She told Ron about Harry's reaction and he had promised to talk to Harry for her, but she had hoped she could avoid Harry till he did so.

Ron saw Harry too and wanted to avoid the confrontation.

"Harry awesome! Tell me all about the movie man!" Ron tried to back Harry out of the room

"No I need to talk to Hermione" Harry said

"Harry I think we should talk first" Ron suggested

"No" Harry was getting annoyed

"Go easy on her man, she…" Ron tried to get a word in

"Ron please just go" Harry ordered. Hermione nodded that it was ok but Ron made sure he bummed Harry's shoulder extra hard as he walked out of the room

"Hermione I was out of line earlier, I'm sorry" Harry began

Hermione's mouth fell open; she was bracing herself for the onslaught. "What changed your mind?"

"Well I'm not sure it's changed completely but I won't stand in your way" Harry said

"I wasn't asking your permission earlier" Hermione reminded him

"Yeah I figured you'd date the death eater whether I liked it or not" Harry said

"Ok we have to fix that. You can't call him a death eater" Hermione said sharply

"Sorry" Harry had a feeling sorry was a word he was going to be saying to Hermione a lot. "But if he so much as chips a piece of your heart he'll find himself in Azkaban faster than you can say Quidditch"

_Aunt Caroleyn's Deli_

The next day Hermione met Lucius for lunch again. She had forced him to take her to one of her favorite restaurants. It was a little muggle owned deli just off of campus.

"So do you like it?" Hermione asked

"Other than the fact that I had to get muggle money to buy it…Yes It's delicious" Lucius smiled. He had protested as hard as he could but today seemed like a good time to give in because he had a favor to ask.

"Hermione, Draco is going to come by the Manor for supper tonight and I thought you could join us. We need to tell him about us" Lucius waited for the attack

"If he doesn't already know" Hermione pointed out

"What do you mean?" Lucius asked

"We were the front page of The Quibbler yesterday" Hermione admitted

"Really!!!" Lucius seemed pleased with himself "Well Draco doesn't read that trash anyway"

Hermione laughed. Lucius was doing a good job of making up for lost time with his son, but there was still so much he had to learn about Draco.

"That sounds fine. What time should I come by?" Hermione said and took another a bite of her sandwich

"Whoa! No yelling or tantrums?" Lucius was shocked. She had been making up excuses for a week now and Lucius was beginning to wonder if she wanted to keep their relationship a secret.

"I told Ron and Harry yesterday" Hermione said

"Ron too! Well then I guess Draco would be the next step" Lucius reached out and held Hermione's hand "How did it go with Harry and Ron?"

"Harry freaked out and threw a huge fit. But he apologized after Ginny knocked him over the head. I still don't think he likes the circumstances but he's willing to sit back. Oh and I think he threatened to throw you in Azkaban if you broke my heart." Hermione added with a grin

"I'll keep that in mind" Lucius shivered at the word Azkaban

"Ron was a little more accepting but…..he admitted to still having feelings for me" Hermione tried to gauge Lucius' reaction but he seemed as cool as ever

"Well let's hope Draco has a reaction somewhere between the two" Lucius kissed Hermione softly. Hermione was getting use to the gasps that came whenever Lucius kissed her in public so she held the kiss a little longer.

_Malfoy Manor_

Hermione showed up at the Malfoy Manor 15 minutes before dinner, and Draco was already there.

"Mione you look amazing" Draco said kissing her on the cheek

"Thanks Draco." Hermione blushed when Lucius glared at his son for kissing her

"Hermione" Lucius greeted her from the other room and they sat down for dinner

Lucius of course sat at the head of the table, Hermione and Draco sat on opposite sides facing each other. The food appeared in front of them and Hermione immediately took a huge swig of the wine.

"So when are you two going to tell me you're shagging?" Draco asked

Hermione almost choked on her wine and looked at Lucius for a response.

"How did you figure that out?" Lucius asked

"You two were in The Quibbler" Draco said as he picked at his food

"Why were you reading The Quibbler" Lucius said. Hermione was shocked at how fatherly he sounded

"It's entertaining" Draco wined back at his father

"Yes we are dating Draco" Hermione interrupted the banter before it got too far

Draco looked from Hermione to his Father. He wanted to be supportive but he had his reservations about the pairing.

"Well I just hope you can get over me Hermione" Draco teased

"I'll do my best" Hermione laughed back. But Lucius didn't think it was funny. He knew his son and Hermione were friends but it made him jealous to hear them talk like this.

They had a nice dinner and dessert. The conversation was casual with Draco talking most of the time about his new business prospects in London. Hermione was happy to see the two men getting along. She really enjoyed both their company and thought about how amazing it would be to have dinners like this more often.

Dinner at 7 drinks and conversation till late in the night then off to bed with………

Then terror hit her. She realized she had slept with both the Malfoys. Her escapade with Draco was so out of the ordinary she had completely forgotten. Besides the only reason she did anything with Draco was because of her dreams about Lucius.

"Hermione you ok?" Draco asked. Her face had gone very white.

"Yeah just a headache" Hermione lied….sort of "I'll be right back"

She walked into the other room pretending to look for an aspirin potion, but quickly wrote on a piece of paper 'DO NOT TELL YOUR FATHER WE HAD SEX please". She folded it up and charmed it into Draco's hand as she walked back into the dinning room.

Draco opened it up and had to hide a laugh behind his napkin "Do you think I'm an Idiot?" He asked the air

Hermione tried to mimic the look on Lucius' face then gave Draco a glaring look

"Draco?" Lucius asked

"Never mind I thought Hermione said something" Draco said with a wink

"Lucius I should get back home before it's too late I have a test in the morning" Hermione wasn't sure she could stand being in the same room with the two of them till she calmed down.

"Of course. Draco why don't you wait for me in the study" Lucius suggested as he lead Hermione to the front door

"Well that went well" Lucius said

"Yes very" Hermione's voice still wasn't steady

"You sure you're ok?" Lucius asked again

"No…yeah…yes I'm fine just worried about the test" Hermione managed

"If you don't pass I can always donate money to the University in exchange for your diploma" Lucius said

Hermione would have laughed but she got a strange feeling he wasn't fully joking. She pushed herself up onto her toes and kissed Lucius goodnight. But when she turned to walk through the door she pulled her back inside.

"That's not enough" Lucius grinned and locked her in his arms, and kissed her again.

"Your trying to force me to stay" Hermione said

"Not forcing, just giving you some incentive" Lucius chuckled

"I will stay tomorrow night" Hermione promised and wriggled her way out of his arms.

Lucius walked back inside to his study and Draco handed him a Manhattan on the rocks.

"Thank you son" Lucius felt proud that he and his son were getting to know each other so well. He smiled as he tasted his favorite after dinner drink

Draco was concerned about his father dating Hermione but he wasn't quite sure how to voice his concerns.

"Something on your mind" Lucius said and took his usually seat

"I'm worried about Hermione" Draco began "I'm not quite convinced you're the best thing for her" Two years ago talking to his father like this would have scared him to death, but they had come a long way since then.

"I'm not either" Lucius admitted

"I know you've changed your thinking, but I wish you would date other women before you jump into something with Hermione. She's so sweet and innocent compared to the women you usually go for"

"Don't be so certain Hermione is all sweet. I like my women like I like my drinks; sweet with a good helping of bitters" Lucius lifted his glass to make his point

"You're sex deprived and I don't want Hermione to be your outlet" Draco tried to get the severity across to his dad

"Draco I tried to date other women, Hell! I had Samantha Jonshire over for dinner just last week" Lucius told his son

"And how long till you asked Hermione out?" Draco asked

"She came to talk to me about some dreams she had been having and I had been thinking about her too. We thought we could spend some time together" Lucius explained

Draco was happy Hermione had at least told his father about the dreams, but he still wasn't sure

"It's just that I have seen you do this before with your mistresses. You become sex deprived, play around for a little bit, get bored, and leave. You can't do that with Hermione" Draco said

"Well she's not my mistress" Lucius replied

"Please just be aware of yourself, we don't need a member of the 'almighty' trio pissed at us again" Draco pleaded

"I think Harry is filling that role right now" Lucius joked and took a sip of his drink

"Oh I bet he's thrilled" Draco laughed

They finished their drinks in good nature and parted. Draco was going to keep a close eye on this.

A little plotline for Tuesday, But don't think we've heard the last of the protesting

Kleipoppetje~ Yuck tests…I hope they went well. Wouldn't it be nice to have Lucius as an option in case you did fail though hahahahaha

Loveismagic~ My friends constantly make fun of me for being in love with Lucius but you can't pick who you crush on


	15. Drama

"SO how have things been going?" Professor Phan asked

It had been a month since Hermione and Lucius started dating. Hermione had reduced her sessions to once a week and Phan was happy with her progress. Her dreams had ended, mostly because she was living out her fantasies now, and she seemed happier than ever.

"Very well" Hermione answered

"Anything you want to talk about" Phan asked

"Not really, everything is great." Hermione said

"Well then why don't you tell me what you are doing tonight" Phan had resolved to living vicariously through Hermione and all her fancy expensive dates.

"We're going to the Wizard Opera House for opening night of The Magic Flute" Hermione bragged

"Wow all the big names will be there. Well he isn't ashamed of you" Phan jokingly made a gesture like she was crossing something off of a list.

"He bought me a dress and everything" Hermione continued "Tailor made for me"

"Well if you had to have dreams about someone at least he was rich" Phan laughed.

The two had become very close over the last month and Hermione was grateful to have Phan to talk to, after she got over Phan's tendency to talk like a doctor. Phan didn't have any preconceived ideas about Lucius or how Hermione should feel about him. Unlike her friends.

Harry became a drill sergeant every time Hermione tried to leave. Asking when she would be home, where she was going, and she swore he followed her a few times. Ron was easier to deal with but he had an affinity to sulking if Hermione talked about anything Lucius and she did.

Back at the apartment she was glad to see Ginny in the kitchen.

"Thank goodness you're here, will you please keep Harry off my back tonight when I leave" Hermione pleaded

"I'm afraid my job will be a little harder than that" Ginny said and held up two tickets

"Oh you are kidding me!" Hermione sighed "He really has issues"

"Yeah I know but if I don't go he'll be breathing down your neck the whole night" Ginny said

"And you wouldn't be able to see Jeremy Gondlin play Prince Tamino" Hermione said smugly

"That too" Ginny laughed

The two girls got ready together and plotted how they would keep Harry away from Lucius. They worked out a code of hand signals and key words, and planned when each would arrive and take their seats.

"Well here's to avoiding drama" Ginny raised a glass of wine and Hermione reciprocated

In accordance to the plan Hermione snuck out the door while Ginny was distracting Harry with his tie. She met Lucius at a restaurant across the street from the theater for a few drinks before the show.

"You look beautiful dear" Lucius said and kissed Hermione firmly on the lips

"And you look stunning as always" Hermione replied. It really was pathetic how handsome he was….. ALWAYS.

"There is something missing though" He said and took a step back to appraise her

"Well you picked out every stick of this dress so that would be your fault" Hermione pointed out

"Ah well then it's a good thing I picked out this" Lucius said and pulled out a necklace bursting with diamonds.

"Oh!" was the only word Hermione could remember and Lucius stepped behind her to put the necklace on her.

"You really are too much sometimes" Hermione said after she kissed him.

They sipped on martinis till they could see people filing into the theater and begining to socialize just inside the doors.

"Oh I completely forgot Harry and Ginny are coming" Hermione said to Lucius

"Good are they sitting with us" Lucius asked

"I hope not" Hermione didn't even think to ask Ginny where their seats were

"Don't look so scared we're sitting in my private box" Lucius kissed Hermione's shoulder as he put on her shawl

They walked across the street arm in arm and Hermione felt as high as a kite. The women around her were beautiful but the way they looked at her made her want to push her chest out and her chin up. She could see how people could get addicted to this feeling and do whatever it takes to keep it.

She was a little nervous to meet Lucius' friends and business partners. Lucius had been making a big deal about it all week and she wanted to make a good impression.

The entrance was packed with people but Lucius cut a path to the VIP room, or rather people dodged out of his way. As they approached the VIP lounge the doors opened up revealing all the most important people in the wizarding community. All eyes fell on them and Lucius greeted each set of eyes with a nod and witty comment. Hermione was relived he handled the room so well; all she had to do was smile and keep up.

"Wine?" Lucius asked as a try of glasses passed them. He picked up two glasses and they immediately filled.

"So what do we do now" Hermione asked

"I'd say we could start by saying hello to Harry and Ginny" Lucius said and took a few steps towards the couple

"UH. Are you sure about that?" Hermione asked "I'm still not sure how Harry will react"

"If he gets upset in this crowd he'll look like the bad guy, he has to be civil" Lucius pointed out

Hermione was worried Harry wouldn't see it the same way.

"Hello Ms. Weasley, Harry" Lucius nodded "You really should try the wine it's fabulous"

"Thank you" Harry replied. Hermione could see he was not as cool underneath

"Hermione told me you had tickets, I didn't know you had VIP access" Lucius said

"You'd be amazed the places 'the boy wonder' has access to" Harry replied

"Ah yes" Lucius said "I wonder how long it will take for people to get over that"

Hermione elbowed Lucius, she could see what he was trying to do and it wasn't helping.

"Harry, how did your day go?" Hermione interrupted

"Still having problems finding a few intolerable death eaters" Harry glared at Lucius

"Ok that's enough socializing for you Harry. Lets go talk to the Longbottoms" Ginny pulled Harry away and gave Hermione an apologetic look

"You asked for that" Hermione told Lucius and turned her back on him

"Sorry I couldn't help myself" Lucius laughed

Then she saw him across the room. He was there with his new wife; the only reason he was allowed to leave Azkaban. She got pregnant during his trial and he claimed the baby would force him to be a better person. Hermione had no clue how the ministry was fooled, even know she could see he hadn't changed.

"Hermione I'm sorry I promise I won't provoke Harry anymore" Lucius said. Hermione was standing stiff in front of him and she was quickly losing the color in her face.

"Hermione you're starting to scare me. Look at me" Lucius turned Hermione around to face him and the fear in her face was unmistakable. A knot formed in his gut as he realized the last time he saw her this scared was years ago in his manor.

Hermione tried to focus on the man in front of her. She could see his worried face but she couldn't hear anything coming from his mouth. All she could hear was his voice, Amycus Carrow's voice.

"_Why do you hide your body from me? Why can't I once find a girl who is laying out ready for me?" Amycus asked_

_Hermione was curled up in the corner of the bed farthest from the door resting on her feet with her hands wrapped around her legs_

"_Alka pull her out of the corner" Amycus ordered one of his house elves_

_The elf came towards Hermione but the second her hand touched her arm Hermione swung her free arm at Alka's face. The elf leapt back and ran to her master's side._

"_Maybe if you didn't rape women you'd get a better response" Hermione hissed_

"_Master should get rid of this one she'll only be trouble" Alka said_

_Amycus just pointed her to the door and she left with a defeated stride._

_Amycus poured a dark liquid into two wide wine glasses and brought them both to the bed. _

"_Come have a glass of wine" Amycus said in his wheezy voice_

_Hermione wasn't fooled she knew it was probably poisoned or mixed with some potion, probably one to make her more willing to have sex with him._

_Amycus laughed at the look on her face._

"_It's just wine mudblood, there's no point in killing you" Amycus laughed_

"_Why" Hermione was going to stick to short quick responses_

"_A pretty face like yours can get me a lot of money in the right circles. You can only imagine what a man will pay to cum on those tits and in that sweet mouth" Amycus jeered_

_Hermione's stomach turned "Your going to pimp me out!?" _

_Amycus only laughed and pushed the glass of wine into her hands. She tasted it and was shocked to taste a very expensive Cabernet Sauvignon. She was grateful for the quick buzz._

_He reached out and took the glass when it was empty and placed it on the table with his ¾ full glass. _

"_Now let's see that body" he groaned _

_Hermione looked up in disbelief she had actually tricked herself into thinking he wouldn't actually do this. He laid his hand firmly on her shoulder and pushed her back onto her elbows_

"Hermione!" Lucius was shaking her and more than a few people were staring at her

Hermione looked over her shoulder to see if Amycus was still around. He was leering at her from across the room and tears stared to weld up in her eyes.

Lucius followed Hermione's eyes to Amycus Carrow's. He didn't like the look in Amycus' eyes at all. Carrow was still loyal to the dark arts and rumors were flying about the treatment he had been giving his wife. But why Hermione was so afraid of him he couldn't figure out.

"Hermione lets go sit down" Lucius suggested. He took her by the arm and stepped into her line of sight.

"I see you held onto my present" Amycus said from behind Lucius

"What are you talking about Carrow" Lucius placed himself between the man and Hermione. He could feel her gripping his coat tails like life lines.

"I was the one who introduced you and Hermione, remember" Amycus said with a wink

Lucius drew in a quick breath. He had forgotten Amycus was the one who captured Hermione originally, then gave her to him to 'shape up'. Lucius snarled at the man and sidestepped his way to the door, keeping his body between Hermione and Amycus.

He didn't say a word till they got to their seats. He ordered the doorman not to let anyone into the suit.

"Hermione please say something to me" Lucius pleaded

"He…He……..I didn't think he would be here" Hermione managed

"His wife has a lot of pull in the ministry, they get in anywhere" Lucius replied

"Lucius I can't be here…with him" Hermione said confusion furrowing her brow

"He can't get in here, I promise" Lucius tried to reassure her

"But he can SEE me" Hermione said with fear welding up in her throat

"Hermione you're safe, I'm here" Lucius said

She looked at Lucius and she did feel safe. She started crying and fell into Lucius' arms. He held her close and let her cry. He could only imagine what was so scary but he would find that out later now he just stroked her hair and let her cry.

Lucius put a sound proofing charm on the box and closed all the curtains when people started coming in. Hermione was still crying but she was coming around.

"Thank you" Hermione said

"For what?" Lucius smiled and lifted her chin

"For not saying anything to try and make me feel better" Hermione sniffled

"Anytime. Do you want to watch the Opera?" Lucius moved to open the curtain

"NO!! Leave it closed" Hermione jumped to stop him

"Hermione please tell me what's wrong" Lucius pleaded

Hermione gulped. The last time she told anyone about Amycus was when she told the Minister of Magic. He had been nice enough to let her tell him in private so the press wouldn't hear about it but after he let Amycus go she wished the press had gotten wind of it.

"Amycus raped me, before he gave me to you" Hermione started to cry again

"I'll KILL HIM" Lucius yelled

"Can we leave?" Hermione asked through her tears

When they got home Lucius let Hermione lay down in his bed. He spent the rest of the night watching Hermione sleep and plotting how to get Amycus back. He was going to make him pay.

Slytherinprincess94~ Thanks for reading. I'm trying to update at least a chapter a day but school and work get in the way sometimes. ENJOY


	16. The Plot

Hermione woke up when a ray of sun crossed over her eyes. She could feel Lucius' arm around her and she turned to look at him.

"Ah I should have closed the curtains tighter, I'm sorry my dear" Lucius said brushing her hair from her forehead

"What time is it?" Hermione asked still groggy

"Nearly noon" Lucius smiled

"NOON!! Why on earth didn't you wake me up?" Hermione sat straight up trying to pull herself out of a sleep fog

"I thought you deserved a good rest after last night" Lucius admitted

"And you've been sitting here watching me sleep all morning?" Hermione asked slightly embarrassed

"….Yes, your are fascinating when you sleep" Lucius didn't have the heart to tell her what he had actually been doing all morning

Lucius had gotten up very early. He couldn't sleep anyhow with the thoughts of revenge pooling through his brain. He hadn't let his mind work and plot like this in years.

At first he thought he would simply contact the Ministry and tell them about a few artifacts and books he knew Carrow still owned, but that presented two problems. One, the Ministry may question how he came to know of the items and put him into a line of fire, and two, he wouldn't be able to watch him squirm if Amycus was sent away to Azkaban. So he had to work through different channels.

The first contact he made was to Samantha who was a friend of Amycus' wife, Lana.

"Samantha I need you to help me" Lucius began

"You want me to help you after you threw me out of your house and insulted my family" Samantha sneered

"I need your help to bring down Amycus" Lucius said.

He knew this would hook her. Samantha's father had offered her hand to Amycus, but he had refused and married Lana instead. Samantha was insulted because she thought Lana was of lesser blood status than her, she thought everyone had lesser blood status than her. Never the less she was very bitter about the whole situation. Luckily for Lucius Samantha lived by the motto "keep your friends close and your enemies closer". She had become friends with Lana hoping to compromise the marriage from within.

"Down how?" Samantha asked intrigued

"Personally, financially, emotionally…anything else you want to add" Lucius replied

"I'm listening" Samantha said

"I want you to get into Lana's head and pull her loyalties away from Amycus" Lucius said

"That won't be all that hard. Amycus has a few women he is seen regularly with" Samantha was grinning ear to ear. She had been waiting for an opportunity to expose Amycus' unfaithfulness. She was going to wait until their anniversary but she was willing to speed up the process.

"Take it easy. I don't want this to blow up in his face right now, but we need to prime her for the news. I will contact you in a week or so to tell you when to let the cat out of the bag" Lucius directed. He was relieved to find Amycus hadn't lost his love of loose women. This part of the plan would be easier than he had thought.

His next plan was a little more involved. He wanted to scare Amycus with a ministry visit, but he didn't want them to find anything just yet.

"Jon, I have a tip for you about some dark arts items that might soon be on the market" Lucius greeted Jon. Jon owed Lucius his freedom; Lucius had testified in Jon's defense during his trial and ultimately convinced the Ministry to set Jon free.

"Is that so? I assume this tip comes with a few conditions" Jon said

"Of course. I need you to hold onto the items and be willing to testify against the seller in court" Lucius explained

"Court is the last place I want to be. How can you be sure they will let me go again?" Jon asked concerned

"When the time is right, you will be the one to alert the Ministry that you've come across the items. I would think it would put you in an even better standing with the Ministry than you are now" Lucius explained

"And when I tell the Ministry, I assume this conversation never happened" Jon speculated

"It seems you understand the situation well" Lucius said. He dropped Amycus' name with a farewell.

The next step was to call the bastard himself. Lucius took a shower to calm him self before he contacted Amycus. He knew he wouldn't be able to control himself in person so he used a sort of telephone that would let him speak to Amycus from a safe distance.

"Lucius! What can I do for you?" Amycus asked with a fact enthusiasm

"I'm afraid it's not good news" Lucius began "The Ministry got a tip that you have illegal items in your house. I think you can expect a visit from them sometime today"

"FUCK!! Who was the ass that turned me in?" Amycus asked

"Who knows, but your biggest concern is how you are going to get those artifacts out of your home." Lucius tried to keep Amycus thinking about the immediate threat

"I have a few places I can hide them" Amycus said blankly

"No when they raided my home they tore the place apart and disarmed every protective spell in the place" Lucius said truthfully

"How do I get rid of them on such short notice? Will you take them?" Amycus hoped

"NO NO, I don't even want to know what you have, but I do know someone who might buy them from you. But I can't guarantee he will sell them back to you" Lucius pushed

"Anything! If the Ministry is coming I need to get these things out of here!!" Amycus replied

Lucius gave him Jon's information and left Amycus in a state of panic. There was only one last thing to do….send the anonymous tip to the Ministry.

Lucius watched Hermione's silhouette on the shower curtain and thought about his mornings work. He imagined Amycus' frantic call to Jon and the ridiculously low price he was forced to sell his illegal items for. He wondered which Auror would be sent to Amycus' house; he hoped they would be dreadful to him.

"What will you do all day?" Hermione asked

"I have a few things to take care of that might take all day" Lucius replied

"Good because I need to get caught up on some school work. You've been distracting me too much lately" Hermione said with a forced grin

Lucius walked over to the shower and handed Hermione her towel. She withdrew when he tried to kiss her on the neck.

"I'm sorry" Lucius instinctively replied

"No, no it's not your fault. I just don't…feel…" Hermione didn't know what to say. She didn't feel sexy after the events at the Opera.

"I understand" Lucius said and stared into her eyes

Her heart made a slight flutter. He looked directly into her eyes despite the fact that the only thing she wore was a towel. He defiantly had a way of breaking down her walls.

Lucius let her dress in silence and met her at the door before she left.

"Don't stay away too long" Lucius pleaded with Hermione

"I should be fine to meet for lunch again on Monday" Hermione said

"You know you can find me at anytime, if you feel unsafe…or anything" Lucius said

"Thank you" Hermione said with a quick peck and left

She felt bad giving Lucius the cold shoulder and not staying for lunch but she needed some time alone. She didn't want the pressure to feel affectionate towards anyone. A day in her room surrounded by books sounded just right.

Lucius was even more driven to ruin Amycus after he saw the change in Hermione. She had gone so cold so fast he was scared she might never warm up to him again. He was shocked to feel his stomach knot up at the thought of losing her.

Sorry about the delay. Finals are coming up and I have been writing term papers. I will try to get a few chapters in over Thanksgiving, but after that I will be busy for a few weeks.

Please continue to review, they really are the only reason I keep writing. Otherwise I think everyone hates the story and I'm not motivated to write anymore. Thank you to those who keep reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!


	17. A Day to Forget

Samantha sat with Lana in a small café sipping tea on a busy shopping strip

"So I didn't realize you and Sara White were back on good terms" Samantha began

"We aren't" Lana said crinkling her nose

"Oh, I just saw Amycus talking to her at the Opera House and thought things had been smoothed over" Samantha replied

"No things are still very much rough with her" Lana clarified

"and Beth Valrau?" Samantha knew that would start a fire

"Why in the world would you think I would make amends with Beth Vag-Raw?" Lana sneered

"Amycus took her to the wine tasting at our family vineyard last month" Samantha said

"No he didn't. He was in Italy last month that's why we didn't attend" Lana clarified

"He was defiantly there. He bought an entire case of the seasons Sauvignon Blanc" Samantha was enjoying this immensely

Lana's heart sank. She had noticed the addition to the wine cellar. She tried to remember Amycus' exact words when he explained the trip and the wine.

"And I'm sure he showed up with Beth because they made a fuss when their rooms were in opposite wings" Samantha had to hide her smile behind her glass

Lana's brows furrowed as she tried to remember back a month. It didn't seem possible. Amycus owed her everything he had, his business, and his freedom were all due to her connections. She couldn't imagine Amycus cheating.

"Sorry I didn't mean to upset you. Let's talk about the Opera. Don't you think the tenors were a bit off?" Samantha said

"I thought they sounded fine" Lana was gone she was not in this room anymore.

"Lana it's probably nothing. Amycus is probably trying to be nice" Samantha suggested

"Did they get rooms in the same wing?" Lana asked

"Well yeah you know Beth, she always gets what she wants" Samantha laughed

"How could you do that you know my husband has a history with her!" Lana yelled

"It wasn't my decision! My father made all the arrangements and Amycus is an important business partner" Samantha defended

"And you waited until now to tell me!" Lana was quickly turning purple

"I thought you were taking the high road, or making a fair trade" Samantha said

"Trade?" Lana asked

"It's a new age, and it's certainly not unheard of for a woman to have a kept man" Samantha smiled

Lana took in a quick breath and tried to look appalled "No! there was no trade"

"Well maybe there should be" Samantha replied

She could see her work was done. Lana's wheels were turning. All it would take is a few more pieces of evidence like the wine and Amycus wouldn't know what hit him. Samantha enjoyed the rest of her tea watching Lana panic.

Meanwhile Amycus was running around his house collecting books and items for Jon to look at when he showed up.

There was a knock at the front door and Amycus waited for the added whistle to tell him it was Jon and not the Ministry. He relaxed with a sigh when it came quickly after the knock.

"Welcome Welcome! Thank you for coming! Please come in" Amycus said breathlessly

"Do you have everything gathered" Jon asked trying to sound uninterested. He had to make Amycus think this was an annoyance to him.

"Yes they're in the den" Amycus escorted Jon into a nearby room

Jon had to catch his breath when he saw the display before him. A good 40 books and three boxes no bigger than a wand case sat on a table. Jon looked over the titles of the books slowly then moved to open the boxes.

"Don't open them all at once" Amycus warned

"What's in them?" Jon asked

"Souls. Mother, Father, and son" Amycus answered and pointed to each box as he mentioned who's soul was in them.

Jon tried not to look horrified "What use do they have?"

"Spirits can go places and do things the living can not. If you posses the other two souls the one you release will do your bidding. They are kept here by each other; they won't leave without the other two. So if you open all three at the same time you'll lose them." Amycus explained

"Who are they?" Jon ventured

"Does it matter!!!! The father has brute strength, the mother is a wicked curse caster, and the son can open any lock. That's all you need to know" Amycus yelled

"No need to yell, I'm just trying to decide if I'm interested" Jon snapped back "Why don't you just release the souls, instead of selling?"

"The art of capturing souls is almost lost. That would be like destroying an original work of DaVinci" Amycus said calmly

Jon ran his eyes over the books again and made a few calculations in his mind. He cut his estimate in half then rounded down to the nearest 100 and made his offer.

"WHAT!!! Do you know what these books contain!!" Amycus yelled

"Yes and I know the Ministry would love to see them" Jon answered moving to the door

"Wait! Ok fine" Amycus couldn't say no. Any minute he could have the entire Auror force at his door.

Jon quickly packed the books and cases into a bag and handed Amycus a fist full of money.

"Pleasure doing business with you" Jon smirked and saw himself out the door

Amycus was furious. He had just given away his most prized possessions for a paupers pay. On top of that he had no guarantee he could get them back. He wished he could have gotten his wife's help but she wasn't answering his summons'. All he could do now was wait for the Ministry.

He didn't have to wait long. There was a loud knock that nearly broke the door down. Amycus checked the den and his suit and walked slowly to the door.

"Mr. Potter! To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit" Amycus smiled

Harry held up a piece of paper in Amycus' face "I'm here to search your house for illegal objects" Harry said in a monotone voice

"Oh dear. Well come in" Amycus tried to sound surprised but his voice cracked "Can I get you something to drink?"

"No thank you. If you could just wait in the dinning room while I search" Harry replied

Harry waited till Amycus was in the other room before he pulled out a small compass from his pocket. The device was found in the possession of a death eater after the war and it pointed to any dark arts objects in a 100 foot radius. Harry walked around the house for awhile casting revealing charms as he went. As he walked into the den he got a strong pull but there wasn't anything there. He shook his head. He figured the compass was picking up remnants of objects that had been there recently. He was too late. He pulled a book off the shelves. It was the defense against the dark arts book the Carrows used when they taught at Hogwarts.

"Mr. Carrows what is this?" Harry asked and pushed the book into his hands

"A text book" Amycus answered with shaking hands

"It explains how to cast very dangerous curses in very specific detail" Harry pointed out

"I think you would be surprised how many people have this book. I believe even Mr. Longbottom owns a copy" Carrows said

"Only because you forced him to buy it" Harry growled

"It's a TEXTBOOK" Amycus said again through gritted teeth

"Mr. Carrows I know you had something in that den. I will find out what it was" Harry warned as he left.

Amycus swallowed hard and whipped the sweat from his forehead. He was just settling down when he heard the door slam and shoes stomping very loudly towards him.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THE SAUVIGNON BLANC?" Lana screamed

"What?" Amycus was seeing stars she flew at him so quickly

"The 20 or so bottles of Sauvignon Blanc that appeared in out wine cellar last month" Lana replied

"From the wine tasting in the country" Amycus answered

"We didn't go last month" Lana pointed out

Amycus froze, he forgot he had taken Beth this last month. He tried to think quickly but the excitement of the day had left him uneasy. Lana's eyes got wider and wider with every second Amycus delayed

"I must have had it sent back" Amycus ventured

"Samantha saw you with Beth" Lana said

"SAMANTHA! You can't believe a word she says. She's still bitter I married you and not her" Amycus replied

"Samantha has been a good friend to me and never showed a bit of jealousy. What were you doing with Beth?" Lana asked

"Nothing! And Samantha has probably been hanging around waiting to step between us" Amycus said

"I'm sure she's endured pretending to be a friend to me just to ruin our marriage" Lana said sarcastically

"She's probably even the one who called the Ministry" Amycus realized

"What about the Ministry?" Lana asked

"Oh you just missed Mr. Wonder Boy himself. He just stopped by to check out a tip he received that I was holding dark art paraphernalia" Amycus replied

"Did he find anything!!!" Lana said horrified

"No I sold it all" Amycus replied in a grumble

"YOU HAD SOMETHING HERE BEFORE?" Lana yelled

"Of course I did I was a DEATH EATER!!" Amycus snapped back

"I don't think I know you as well as I thought" Lana said shocked and walked out of the room

Amycus didn't have the energy to follow her. He would let her settle down while he re-gathered his nerve.

While all hell broke out in the Carrow household Lucius was busy with his third attack. He had a foot in the door to ruin Amycus' personal life and freedom, but the thing he knew would blow the lid off everything was his business.

Amycus made money investing other people's money. Unfortunately for Amycus his biggest clients were either close friends of Lucius' or people with no sympathies to death eaters.

The calls to his friends were easy. All Lucius had to do was ask his friends to pull their money out of Amycus' investments, with a few promises on the side. With the others Lucius made sure the rumor about the raid was spreading. His hope was that as more and more people realized Amycus could still have dark arts ties they would pull their investments. It would only be a matter of time and waiting.

Slytherinprincess94~ YOU RULE!! Sorry school has been such a pain lately but Winter break is coming soon!!!

Loveismagic~ Plenty of drama is rattling in my brain right now. Stay tuned!


	18. Karma

"Well thank you anyway, please keep in touch" Amycus said as he hung up the phone for what seemed like the millionth time. He couldn't figure out why people were refusing to let him handle their money. He offered them everything even worry free investment, but still pulled out.

He walked into the living room and sat on the couch next to his wife.

"Who was that?" Lana asked not looking up from her book

"No one important" Amycus lied. He didn't want his wife to know his clients were leaving because she was already suspicious about his fidelity.

Lana hadn't let Amycus out of her sight for days. They had spent every moment together; unfortunately Lana was sick of Amycus. Before she thought she got along just fine with her husband, but she didn't realize how important time apart had been to their marriage.

"I'm going out for a glass of wine with some friends tonight" Lana told Amycus

"Oh I didn't think we had any plans" Amycus replied

"WE don't I do" Lana snapped back

"Where are you going?" Amycus asked partially to see how much money she would be spending and partially to see where not to take Beth.

"Not sure yet, Samantha was going to pick" Lana said

"SAMANTHA!! Why do you insist on spending time with her?" Amycus asked

"We get along" Lana lied; she needed Samantha to be her eyes and ears. Samantha was connected and heard everyone's gossip, rumors, and secrets.

Amycus rolled his eyes and tried to focus on the Daily Prophet in front of him.

Hermione sat in a café going over some reading for a class. She was glad Lucius was busy today because it gave her time to think.

She thought she was over her past, and the fact that she could fall for Lucius convinced her even more of that. But what she didn't realize was how much of her past with Amycus was pushed from her memory. She had a hard time staying focused with Lucius and seeing him as a reformed man since the Opera. The image of Amycus passing her off to Lucius was suddenly very fresh in her memory.

"Yeah she found out about Amycus and Beth at the Winbolt Winery" A woman said behind Hermione

"Did she leave him?" another woman asked

"No Lana's still with him but I would bet she'll be out of there by the end of the month" the first woman replied

Hermione looked over her shoulder to see who was talking. There were two women at the counter waiting on their order. They looked out of place. Their silk lined coats and designer bags didn't fit in with the University crowd. But the women looked at ease in the café and Hermione guessed the women came here to gossip on a regular basis. It was a good location, none of the students in the café would know who the women were talking about let alone care about the social drama.

The woman took a seat close to Hermione and continued their chatter.

"My husband said Amycus had a house call from the Ministry. Harry Potter himself searched the house for dark arts contraband." The first woman continued

"Was anything found!" her friend replied oozing with excitement

"No but the investigation is still going on" The woman said

"Well it makes a lot more sense why my husband switched his investor this week. I thought Amycus was doing a good job with our money, but George wouldn't want to risk being associated with an active death eater" The two women laughed and it sounded to Hermione like their husbands were probably more concerned about being investigated themselves.

The women continued mocking Amycus for a few more minutes before finding some poor girl in the café to jeer.

Hermione quickly finished her coffee and packed up her bags. She wasn't even careful to not bend the pages of her work book; she had to talk to Harry.

"Can I use your fireplace?" Hermione asked the barista

"It'll cost you 5 galleons" he responded

"Fine" Hermione reached for her purse and paid for the floo powder

"Office of Harry Potter" Hermione said and was whisked away to her friends work place

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" Harry said looking up from his desk

"I just heard some women saying you were at Amycus Carrows house this week." Hermione said

"Yeah we got a tip that he still owned some illegal dark arts items" Harry said folding up the parchment in front of him

"Did you find anything?" Hermione asked

"Well…no…but there was something there. I found a sort of magic residue in one room" Harry answered

"So you're still looking?" Hermione said excited by the news

"Yeah I'm still doing research" Harry said "What's all this about?"

Hermione hesitated she didn't want to bring up bad times. "Harry I want you to get this guy"

"Oh I will. Things are already starting to fall apart for him. The rumors alone have done an amazing job of scaring his clients away, and his wife heard that he was cheating. I almost think someone is being a catalyst to the situation" Harry said

"If so I'll kiss whoever it is if this puts Amycus away" Hermione replied

Hermione said goodbye and decided to walk back to the apartment. The Ministry was buzzing with people and messages all heading in different directions. It gave Hermione a headache to try and make sense out of the ciaos but when she just watched the swirling colors of robes it was calming.

"Decided to visit me at work?" Lucius said stepping out of the crowd

"I didn't know you would be at the Ministry" Hermione smiled and raised herself onto her toes to kiss him

Lucius was shocked to find they were back on kissing terms but was glad to reciprocate.

"Then why are you here?" Lucius asked

"I came to visit Harry" Hermione replied

"Oh now your just trying to make me jealous" Lucius said

"Is it working?" Hermione smiled

"Yes" Lucius smiled back "but I know a way you can make it up to me"

"I'll bet you do" Hermione laughed and followed Lucius into his Ministry office

"Don't you ever lose things having all these offices?" Hermione asked as she looked around the office. It was filled with books and files. There were at least 100 quills sitting on the tables in the room.

"No but if I ever had to move I would defiantly leave things behind" Lucius laughed

"What's with all the quills?" Hermione asked as she picked up a handful

"I have a lot of important meetings in here and there is nothing worse than not having a quill" Lucius said

Lucius let Hermione peruse the shelves of books and let her get comfortable in the room. He started organizing the papers on his desk and looking over his messages when he heard Hermione gasp. He looked up to see her holding a book.

"How are you allowed to have this?" Hermione asked

"I keep it at the Ministry so they can keep track of who sees it. I'm sure someone is getting a message right now that 'Hermione Granger picked up Theories of Magic." Lucius laughed

Hermione quickly put the book back on the shelf but she secretly longed to read it. There was only one full copy of the book known to exist and the notable wizards who held that binding and perused that book was breath taking. The book described the theories of how magic worked and had inspired countless charms that were now used on a day to day basis. It was dangerous too because it had inspired all of the unforgivable curses. Speculation was that if you mastered the book you could control anything and everything.

"I thought Kingsley wanted to destroy the book" Hermione said

"He tried to, but he couldn't make a dent. He gave it back to me because I promised to use the killing curse on anyone who tried to steal it." Lucius explained

"Why doesn't he just kill anyone who steals it. Why give it back to you?" Hermione asked regretting the way her words might sound to him

"He didn't think he could go through with it. It takes a lot of resolve to use that curse" Lucius replied calmly

"You have to mean it" Hermione said in a daze remembering when Harry tried to Crucio Bellatrix. She wondered if she could mean it enough to kill Amycus, she felt she could.

"Yes" Lucius said and placed his hands on Hermione's shoulders

"I heard an interesting rumor today" Hermione turned to face Lucius

"What was that?" Lucius smiled down at her

"Karma is catching up to Amycus" Hermione said smugly

Lucius tried to hide his reaction. He wasn't sure he wanted Hermione to know what he had been up to. He figured in time he could tell her but he wanted to keep her in the dark incase something didn't turn out as planned.

"He is losing clients left and right, Lana thinks he's cheating…and he probably is…and Harry is investigating a tip that Amycus owns dark arts objects" Hermione smiled up at Lucius

"Harry is running the investigation….hmmmm…" Lucius said in a faraway tone

"Yeah that's the real reason I came to see him. I wanted to see if the rumors were true" Hermione admitted

"Well I'm sure Amycus will get what he has coming to him" Lucius said

"Lucius I couldn't be happier. I have been fretting about Amycus so much lately…but now…" Hermione wrapped her arms around Lucius and kissed him passionately on the lips.

Lucius pressed his mouth back on hers and sucked on her bottom lip. He had missed the taste of her. He drew in a deep breath to fully take in her essence.

"Wow!" Escaped from Hermione's throbbing lips

"I missed you my dear" Lucius said looking down at her

Hermione let Lucius place his lips on hers again this time he was much softer. He ran his fingers over her cheek bones and around the back of her ears. He took a few small steps forward and backed Hermione into his desk.

Lucius picked Hermione up to sit on the desk. He lowered himself in front of her and pushed her thighs apart. Her skirt was short and he could see her maroon panties peaking out. Lucius pushed her skirt up around her waist and saw a golden Griffon prancing on her panties.

"I'm going to have to buy you a few Slytherin pairs of these" Lucius said snapping the waist band of her panties

He looped his thumb into the crotch of her panties and pulled them aside. He slowly slid his tongue through her slit, and Hermione opened her legs more in response to his touch.

Lucius took a few more swipes with his tongue before vanishing her panties all together. He slid a finger into her vagina and massaged her inner walls while he licked and sucked on her clit. Hermione put one hand behind her for support and the other on Lucius' head.

She weaved her fingers into his long blond hair and pulled him closer. His tongue danced around her clit and his fingers pressed against her G-spot. She gasped when he started nibbling gently on her clit.

Hermione laid back on the desk, pushing piles of parchment and quills out from under her. Lucius switched his approach and started rubbing her clit with his thumb and pushed his tongue into her hot folds. She tasted so sweet; his cock was rock hard from being between her legs.

Hermione arched her back and let Lucius get deeper. His experience paid off; as she pitched and squirmed he was able to keep the stimulation consistent and Hermione soon felt herself suddenly heat up. Her muscles clenched and she drew in a quick breath as her orgasm rushed over her.

Lucius let her calm down before moving over her for a kiss. The mixture of her cum and saliva made an intoxicating blend in his mouth. He loved the feeling of having her all. He didn't want the moment to end and completely missed Hermione pushing on his chest.

"Are you going to let me have a turn?" Hermione asked

"I thought that was your turn" Lucius smiled

Hermione sat up pushing Lucius back onto his feet. She summoned a chair and it hit him square behind the knees making him land hard on the seat. Hermione squinted her eyes and smirked as she vanished Lucius' pants.

The look on Lucius' face made all her practicing worth while. She was determined to hold her own with Lucius and she figured incorporating magic into her sex routine was a good start. Lucius seemed to be impressed with her effort.

She kissed Lucius; letting her fingers wonder over his arms and chest feeling the muscles under his cloak. She stopped when she felt the muscles of his penis in her hand and rubbed his cock. Lucius became distant in their kiss and Hermione knew he was enjoying her hand job.

She smiled and pulled back from his lips. She got down on her knees and took his length into her mouth. He placed his feet flat on the floor and held onto the chair as she pulsed her tongue against his cock.

Hermione twisted her mouth around his penis and licked up every drop of pre-cum. Lucius' breathing got quick as she gently massaged his balls. She continued to switch between her mouth and two hands.

She watched the muscles in his thighs flex and his hand darted to grab the back of her head. She wrapped her lips around his rearing head and let his hot cum fill her mouth. Lucius stroked her hair and slouched back into the chair. She sat with her head resting on his chest, listening to his heart beat slow down.

"I hope you didn't send my pants to Siberia" Lucius broke the silence

"They're right here" Hermione said and summoned the pants to her

Lucius charmed them back on and Hermione slapped his arm

"No fair" She argued

Lucius just smiled and kissed her softly.

"Well despite the look of things I do have some work to do" Lucius said regretfully

"Will I see you for dinner?" Hermione asked

"Why don't you come by the manor tonight" Lucius suggested

Hermione nodded and left after a quick kiss.

Lucius walked over to his desk and found his work strewn all over the floor.

"I need to stop mixing business with pleasure" Lucius said to himself as he began sorting out the mess.

Ok so finals are lurking and I have to focus but I wanted to get one more chapter in before I hit the books. I hope you are all still enjoying the story (even if you don't review) and I look forward to winter break when all I have to think about it writing about Lucius!!

Loveismagic~ Thanks for all your reviews. It helps so much to hear what people are thinking good or bad 


	19. The Plot Thickens

The plan to ruin Amycus was about to escalate. Lucius was going to wait longer but with Harry on the case he didn't want to risk taking too long. Harry had proven to be a very good researcher and if Harry found the trail before they acted it could all easily backfire on Lucius. So everything was going to go down the following week. Jon's part was simple; he had to tell the Ministry that he had obtained illegal artifacts from Amycus and hand them over.

Then it was up to the Ministry to decide his fait, and that would only be favorable if he could get Lana out of Amycus' corner. That's where Samantha came in.

"I thought I wasn't allowed in your home anymore" Samantha said in a sly tone

"Special circumstances" Lucius replied

Samantha stood in the doorway to Lucius' office in a slinky evening gown. It wad fierce green with purple crystal accents her hair was pulled back tight emphasizing her razor sharp cheek bones and deep set eyes.

"Why in the world would you ban that from your home" Jon whispered out of the corner of his mouth as he stared Samantha up and down.

"It's a good story. I'll tell it to you sometime" Samantha smiled

Jon knew when he wasn't wanted and said goodbye to Lucius. He wished he could stay longer though.

"Your late" Lucius said stiffly

"I'm never late. I arrive exactly when I intend to" Samantha gushed

"Well I have plans. I can't wait around for you" Lucius sneered

"Yes you can, because you need me to bring down Amycus" Samantha said

"Are we all set in that area?" Lucius asked impatiently

"Yes the party is set for tomorrow, but I'm taking Lana to see a show. Beth told me this morning she had bought her dress to match Amycus so they are defiantly going to be there together" Samantha said very proud of herself

"And how do you plan on catching Amycus in the act?" Lucius had let a lot of the planning for this lay in Samantha's hands and he was nervous about it being done correctly.

"The show will be canceled; so Lana and I will go for a drink, then head back to the party. I told Beth there was a special room for her to use, with complimentary vintage champagne waiting for her. She won't be able to resist it for long. Once the bottle is opened I'll know and I'll bring Lana back for the real show." Samantha said smugly

Lucius was impressed it seemed innocent enough from an on lookers point of view, and best of all no one would be able to tie it back to him.

"So do you approve" Samantha said walking slowing towards Lucius' desk

"Yes you've done a fine job planning" Lucius complimented

"Don't I deserve a reward?" Samantha said walking around his desk

"I think seeing Amycus' face will be reward enough" Lucius replied

"I was hoping for something more…Physical" Samantha said swinging Lucius' chair around and sitting on his lap. She grabbed a fist full of his hair and pulled his head back to kiss him.

Lucius tried to push her off but his positioning made it difficult to get a bearing on her. He put his hands on her waist and tried to stand up.

Hermione stood like a deer in head lights. Lucius was sitting at his desk fully engaged in a kiss with Samantha, and she got a sudden feeling of déjà vu. Samantha had Lucius' face in both hands and Lucius held her around the waist. All she could do was stand and watch.

"Samantha please" Lucius managed and finally got to his feet. But he was far from being in the clear. Hermione stood on the other side of the room staring at them in shock.

"Hermione….NO" Lucius matched her shock and began to get dizzy thinking about what to say.

Hermione just shook her head and looked back and forth between Lucius and Samantha. She thought she was glued to the floor till a tear hit her cheek. She turned and ran for the front door.

Lucius threw Samantha to the side and ran after Hermione. She could hear his footsteps behind her but she couldn't look back. He obviously had some kind of power over her for her to have missed the signs. She couldn't stop; she couldn't look back for fear of falling into his trap again.

She ran until she felt soft ground under her feet then closed her eyes. When she opened them she was in her room. It was pitch black and silent. No footsteps just the sound of her own sobbing.

Lucius fell back when he saw Hermione vanish.

"FUCK!!" Lucius screamed. He stared at the place she last was and shook his head. He walked back into his house and slammed the door.

"Well that was dramatic" Samantha said

Lucius let out a heavy breath and stared at Samantha

"You've really got it bad for that Mu…girl don't you?" Samantha sneered

"She's the reason I want to ruin Amycus" Lucius sighed

"What did Amycus do to her?" Samantha asked

"He raped her, and I assume much more that that" Lucius shook his head

"OH GOD!! Does Lana know?" Samantha was stunned. She didn't like the Mudblood but she sure as hell wasn't going to allow someone to rape her.

"I doubt it. I would rather keep Hermione out of this. She has no clue what I'm doing" Lucius explained

Samantha didn't know what to say. Part of her was glad Hermione was out of the way so she could be with Lucius, but it was obvious Lucius truly cared for Hermione. She found it hard to believe Lucius Malfoy would have fallen so hard for a muggle born that he would risk is own freedom for her.

"Well since she is so OUT of this now. Why don't we go back to your study" Samantha said slyly

"NO…You don't GET it" Lucius yelled back at her

His eyes were blazing and Samantha took a step back. She had never been turned down by a man, let alone so firmly; she was obviously getting nowhere here. When she looked at the sadness in Lucius' face she felt an annoying twinge between her ribs. She wished a man someday would be as upset about losing her as Lucius' was about losing Hermione.

"Well I guess I'll contact you after the party tomorrow" Samantha said and showed herself out.

Lucius could only hope that the plan would work and he would have made up for some of the horrible things he had put Hermione through.

Darn Lucius won't get out of my head and let me study. Plus my roommates rented Hellboy II the other day (Prince Nuada is HOT), and my friend introduced me to Twilight. If I fail this semester I'm blaming hot fictional characters for being so distracting.

Loveismagic~ unfortunately, there is one more speed bump for Hermione and Lucius to get over.


	20. A Mess

Hermione barely had the strength to sob anymore and the tears had lost their saltiness. She looked at the wall and let her vision blur. All she could see was him, and the worst part was it wasn't even him with that woman on his lap. No! it was him smiling down at her with that look in his eyes that made her swoon. She didn't dare sleep because she knew nothing better waited for her there. So she stayed awake, crying.

Every few minutes another vase full of flowers would pop-up in her room. At first she sent them back, but twice as many would pop-up in their place. Then she threw them out the window or sent them to Siberia, but now she was just too tired to do anything. The surfaces in her room were covered in flowers, and now they started appearing on the floor.

She felt like she was going to puke from the sorrow in the pit of her stomach. After trying to convince herself she didn't have to puke she hauled herself out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

"OH MY GOD!!! Hermione what is wrong with you?!?!" Harry gasped when he met her in the hall.

Hermione looked at Harry then ran into the bathroom to puke. Harry followed her in and pulled back her mangled mess of hair.

"Hermione, how long have you been home?" Harry asked.

"Since last night" Hermione said through heaves.

"You get food poisoning or something?" Harry asked.

"Something" Hermione managed.

"Well…um…if there's anything I can do…." Harry said handing her a washcloth.

"Don't let Lucius in" Hermione replied.

"Fuck!! This has to do with that Bloody asshole!! Hermione I told you…" Harry yelled

"Just stop!!!" Hermione interrupted him and ran back into her room slamming the door.

Harry stomped downstairs with half a mind to call a Dementor to pay Lucius a visit. He banged around in the kitchen cussing when there was a knock at the door.

"If that's that bloody bastard I'll Kedavra him before he can make up any bloody excuse" Harry mumbled as he walked to the door. He saw Lucius on the other side and grabbed his wand out of his pocket.

"Don't even think of speaking!! In fact don't even think of thinking!!! Just leave!!!" Harry screamed with his wand inches from Lucius' nose.

Lucius looked just as awful as Hermione. Purple circles framed his eyes, his nose was raw red, and his cloak was buttoned one button off.

"Please it's not…" Lucius began

"What I think? It doesn't matter what I think! Hermione told me to keep you away, and if she had told me to kill you this conversation would have ended after your first knock!" Harry yelled at him.

"Can I…." Lucius tried again

"NO!!!!!!" Harry pushed the wand under Lucius' chin.

"Potter! You have no clue what you are getting into!" Lucius pulled all his strength.

"Doesn't Matter" Harry harshly and slowly pronouncing each word.

"She needs to know the truth!" Lucius nearly begged.

"She doesn't want to know anything and if you don't step off this stoop, I will put you in Azkaban!" Harry hissed.

Lucius' brow fell as he stepped back Harry still pointing his wand threateningly at him. He turned and walked away. He knew it was a long shot to come her in person but he had to try, he was hurting to his core.

Harry slammed the door and locked every bolt. He had never seen Lucius like that. He tried to tell himself it was all part of the show, but there was something in his eyes that made him think twice. You can't fake that walk; Lucius looked broken.

There was a loud crash at the door behind him. His first thought was that Lucius was trying to bust the door down but then he heard keys turning the locks. Harry turned and helped open the bolts.

"Harry!!! Harry!!! You have to come down to the Ministry!" Ron huffed.

"Ron are you Okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah!! Just… Ran… Here" Ron doubled over.

"Why didn't you use the fireplace?" Harry asked.

"Didn't think of that" Ron looked up at him with disgust.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"A buyer came to your office. He said he has the items Amycus got rid of" Ron said excitedly.

Harry's heart sank. He was hitting dead ends everywhere with the investigation; this was HUGE.

"Fuck!" Harry yelled.

"Well that's a fine reaction after I ran all the way here to tell you" Ron said offended.

"No Hermione! Lucius did something to her and she asked me to keep him away. I can't leave her like this" Harry said.

"Go" Hermione sniffed from the hallway.

"Bloody Hell!!" Ron gasped at the sight of Hermione.

"Harry, Amycus going to jail would really cheer me up right now" Hermione sighed.

"I'll be back as soon as I can! If you need anything!" Harry said as Hermione slipped back into her room.

Harry put a few protective charms on the house before he stepped into the fireplace. In his office sat a pitiful looking man. His clothes were torn and dirty and he had an old mailbag sitting next to him.

"Jon Balten?" Harry asked as he stepped out of the fireplace in his office.

"Mr. Potter" Jon replied awkwardly bowing.

"You're the buyer?" Harry asked as he sat at his desk.

"Yes sir. I have the items in my bag" Jon reached for the mailbag.

"NO! No leave them in there" Harry wasn't sure what he was dealing with yet and wanted to ask questions first.

They talked for awhile. Harry asking him questions about the sale, when Jon was there, what he took, how he heard Amycus might be selling. The story matched up with what Harry had found. Even down to the time Jon said he left the house and the time Harry arrived. It matched with the traces Harry found that day and the state Amycus was in that day.

Finally Harry asked about the artifacts. He went cold when he heard what was sitting in his office. He tried not to cry thinking about the trapped souls and what they must have been forced to do over the years.

"I wanted to free the souls myself, but when I heard about all the trouble Amycus was in I thought they might be helpful to you" Jon said.

"I'm thankful you brought them to us. I can guarantee they will be released as soon as the investigation is over" Harry's voice broke.

There was a knock on his office door and a young intern peeked his head inside.

"I found were Amycus will be this evening" He said.

"Alan! Shut the door before you say something like that!" Harry snapped and Alan timidly shut the door behind him.

"I found were Amycus will be this evening" Alan repeated timidly

"Are you going to tell me?" Harry pushed.

"There's a party. Social elite types…starts at 8 tonight" Alan quickly replied.

"Good get me a group of ten or more agents tell them to meet me here at 7" Harry said.

He said good day to Jon and locked up the mailbag. He wanted to check on Hermione before he started the mission.

Lucius sat in Draco's living room and waited for his son to get back with a glass of water.

"And you tell me not to work too hard" Draco laughed.

"It's not work, it's Hermione" Lucius groaned.

"Yeah she can be kinda….uh….a handful…..I've heard…from others" Draco stumbled.

"No she's fine" Lucius sighed.

"You just said" Draco started.

"I screwed up" Lucius moaned.

"Fuck Dad I told you!" Draco yelled.

"It's not my fault!! Samantha…" Lucius steamed back.

"Samantha!! Samantha!!! Please NO!!!" Draco paced the floor.

"She forced herself on me!" Lucius yelled at his son.

"Dad don't play that with me. I know the game better than you I'll bet" Draco pointed.

Lucius couldn't believe his ears; his son wasn't on his side. His own son didn't believe he could be true to one woman.

"I'm not playing any games. You can believe me or not, I don't care what you think; all that matters is what she thinks." Lucius said.

"Then why are you here?" Draco snapped back.

"She won't see me. I was hoping you would talk to her for me" Lucius pleaded.

"No way, Pops. I am not getting involved" Draco turned his back.

Lucius sighed and left without another word. Draco watched the spot where his father last was. He had never heard his father give up that easily. He wondered if there might be some truth to the story or maybe his father felt genuinely bad about cheating. It would be a change for his father but he had changed in so many other ways, why not this too.

**The Rendezvous**

"Lana, what do you think of mudbloods?" Samantha said stirring her drink with a straw.

"Times have changed; we have to get over the prejudice. Plus I hear that Granger girl is a genius when it comes to magic. Maybe mudbloods aren't as inferior as we first thought" Lana said matter of factly.

Samantha looked around the bar. She had to admit she couldn't tell mudblood from pureblood, unless she knew their family personally. She also had to admit she had met some hot mudblood men which convinced her ore than anything that maybe they weren't all that bad.

She felt slighted that Lucius would choose that girl over her. His reaction made her jealous; she wished a man would give that much of a damn about her, and all the plotting he had done to avenge her dignity. Hermione was down right lucky.

The ring on her finger turned green, which was the signal that the bottle of wine had been opened at the party.

"Oh!!! I need to get back to the party soon!" Samantha yelled and quickly got up from her seat.

"But we would have been in the show right now" Lana pointed out.

"Well we can turn the cancelation into a convenience. Lets go" Samantha rushed Lana to a nearby fireplace so they could get back as soon as possible.

"Didn't I see your husbands name on the guest list? I wonder where he is" Samantha said.

"Probably home already he said he wouldn't stay long" Lana replied.

"Well you're going to stay aren't you? Let's go put our coats in the back room" Samantha suggested leading Lana into the trap.

Samantha had to walk ahead of Lana so she wouldn't see her smiling. As she got closer she straightened her face out the best she could and threw open the doors in a theatrical manner.

There in the bed where the coats should have been was Amycus and Beth with nothing more than sweat on them. Lana stood in the doorway horrified, Samantha gasped so dramatically she started choking on her spit. The coughing alerted the cheaters they had company and they both pulled at the sheets to try and cover themselves.

"Lana!!!" Amycus cried out "You're not at the theater"

"No I AM NOT" Lana spat at him.

"I thought" Amycus stuttered.

"You thought you could FUCK another woman as long as I was at the theater. What if I had been at the SPA, would that have made the difference?" Lana lashed back at him.

"Dear, Darling…It's …Not" Amycus pleaded.

"Fuck you 'It's Not' and we're NOT. Not anymore" Lana snapped at him and ran out of the room.

"Oops wrong room" Samantha smirked at Amycus.

"You bitch!! Do you know who you are dealing with? I'll have you thrown in Azkaban!!!" Amycus yelled at her.

"You'll have a hard time of it being there yourself and all" Harry said walking into the room.

"What!!" Amycus sucked in a breath and pulled harder on the sheets. Hordes of Aurors were filling the room all pointing their wands at him.

"You're under arrest for owning illegal dark arts artifacts." Harry said calmly and signaled his team to arrest him.

They bound his arms behind him, snapped his wand in his face, and placed a few protective charms on him.

"I'll take this" Harry said pulling the sheet away from Amycus "courtesy of Hermione Granger".

Harry knew he would enjoy telling Hermione that Amycus not only had to walk out of the party under arrest but he had to do it butt naked.

Yeah finals are over!!! I know this had a lot of conversation but I have been thinking about this chapter for so long it sorta took on a life of its own.

Loveismagic~ Sorry to leave you anxious for so long.

Mocktail~ LOL I'm glad you are liking the story so much. Thanks for the review.


	21. The Truth

"NO WAY!!! Harry you are the best friend a girl could ask for" Hermione said hugging Harry.

He had just gotten through telling Hermione about the arrest and she was grinning from ear to ear. The dark circles around her eyes ruined the effect a little but Harry was relieved to see them dry.

"Don't thank me. I'm more convinced than ever that there is someone behind all the events. I mean his wife caught him red handed and then we swoop in to take him away, and he's NAKED!! I couldn't have asked for a better set up" Harry said laughing.

"Well I stand by my word I will kiss who ever did this" Hermione said.

"So dare I ask about…..?" Harry hesitated.

"Please don't. Let me ride this high for awhile" Hermione pleaded.

Harry raised his hands and walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine to celebrate. Hermione leaned back in her chair and sighed in relief. She was so grateful to have something happy to distract her. She knew Professor Phan would be mad at her for not dealing with her feelings but they would have to wait.

There was a knock at the door and Hermione's stomach sank. He wouldn't dare try coming here again, would he?

"I'll get it" Harry said as ran around the corner, his wand at the ready in front of him.

Hermione held her breath as she heard the door open. She heard it close without any yelling and she calmed down a bit. But then she heard two sets of footsteps coming into the living room and the look on Harry's face was apologetic.

Hermione stopped breathing all together when she saw who was behind Harry. It was Samantha, the one and only other person in the world she didn't want to see right now.

"She said she needed to talk to you" Harry apologized and quickly ran back into the kitchen.

"Hermione, may I have a word with you?" Samantha asked softly.

Hermione was sure the woman in front of her looked like Samantha but her mannerisms were timid, not like Samantha at all. She looked uncomfortable in the living room. Hermione would have guessed it was discomfort from having to be in a mudbloods living room, but Samantha looked more scared than disgusted. She pointed to a seat for Samantha to sit down.

"Hermione what happened the other day was completely my fault" Samantha began "Lucius and I were working on a project together and I mistook it as him flirting with me. You have to understand that men don't say no to me, so when he didn't make a move I did

"He didn't look like he was saying no when I was there" Hermione interrupted.

"Believe me he was. When you left he very firmly let me know I wasn't the one he wanted" Samantha admitted.

"He told you to come here didn't he" Hermione accused.

"No, he has no clue I'm here. He's probably busy tying up all the loose ends with Amycus" Samantha replied.

"Excuse me?" Hermione gapped. What did Lucius have to do with Amycus? Where they still friends?

"Oh…I forgot you didn't know… Well I think you should. Maybe then you'll realize how much he cares for you. He has been plotting to get Amycus thrown in jail all week" Samantha revealed. Hermione's mouth dried up instantly.

"I was helping him expose Amycus' cheating to Lana. He had some buyer take care of the illegal items Amycus owned and he called in every last favor he was owed to have investors pull their money out of Amycus' business" Samantha explained as Hermione's mouth got wider and wider.

They sat in silence for awhile as Hermione let her head stop spinning. Harry had been right, there was someone behind it all, and it was LUCIUS! She couldn't believe he would do that for her.

"Well I think I've done as much as I can. Give Harry my congratulations on the arrest" Samantha got up and showed herself out of the house.

"WHOA!!" Harry said walking back into the room.

"I knew you were listening. You could have stayed, then I wouldn't have had to be alone with that woman" Hermione glared at him.

"She seemed nice enough" Harry said sitting down.

"Yeah…." Hermione was still running the conversation through her head.

"Are you going through with your promise?" Harry asked.

"What promise?" Hermione asked back.

"To kiss who ever is behind putting Amycus in jail" Harry smirked.

Hermione moaned and threw a pillow at Harry. She didn't want to think about Lucius.

"Why not? Seems to me everything is back to the way they were. He wasn't cheating; in fact he was doing the exact opposite. He was risking his own freedom to make your problems go away" Harry said plainly.

Hermione looked at Harry with confused eyes. He was supporting this, he wanted her to go back to Lucius……. and he was right. She had to apologize.

Loveismagic~ I wanted Amycus to go out with a bang LOL

Bella67x~ I promise crazy make-up sex is on the menu


	22. Waking Up

Lucius sat in his office trying to push Hermione from his head by overloading himself with work. He hoped in time she would cool down and he would be able to explain himself. Even though he knew he didn't deserve an explanation, he had a feeling dating him would mean drama no matter what. If it wasn't one thing there would always be something around the corner.

"Lucius" Hermione whispered.

Lucius didn't bother looking up. He had been hearing her voice all day and his heart couldn't handle looking up and not seeing her there again.

"Lucius please" Hermione pleaded.

Lucius took a deep breath and looked up. His chair crashed behind him when he bolted to his feet. He rushed around his desk and smashed his knee on the corner.

"OH LUCIUS!! Are you okay?" Hermione gasped and rushed to his side.

"I don't know, am I?" He looked down into her eyes.

Hermione wanted to tell him yes, that Samantha had told her the truth, and she had heard about his involvement with Amycus' arrest. So many things were going through her head she didn't know where to start. So she stalled by kissing Lucius.

His warm breath mixing with hers felt like such a relief. She never thought they had kissed much before but his lips felt so familiar she got lost in the moment.

"That certainly helped my condition" Lucius smiled.

"I'm so sorry. I jumped to conclusions before and I'm sorry I didn't give you the chance to explain" Hermione's voice broke in desperation.

"It's ok. I'm use to people jumping to conclusions with me" Lucius smiled back.

"But I shouldn't have! You shouldn't have to worry about that from your girlfriend ….or …erm… whatever I am" Hermione stuttered. She was nervous saying girlfriend; she wasn't sure their relationship had gotten to such a definable point.

"I wouldn't use girlfriend either………You're much more than that" Lucius admitted and locked Hermione into another kiss.

Her head was spinning after the emotional rollercoaster his words sent her on. She was gitty with excitement; this rough and tough ex-death eater might really love her. His words sure sounded like it and his kiss defiantly felt like it.

"Don't you want to know what made me change my mind" Hermione asked regretting breaking up the kiss.

"Not particularly. All I care about is that your back" Lucius replied.

"Will you stop being charming for one second so we can talk this through" Hermione said taking a step back.

"Hermione you have to see it from my point of view. I don't deserve you, so I'm going to do what ever it takes to keep you around" Lucius said closing the gap between them again.

"No I don't deserve you" Hermione put a hand on his chest.

"Now you're not making any sense" Lucius said and wiped a tear off her cheek.

"Samantha came by…" Hermione started.

"Hermione you have to understand about Samantha……" Lucius said quickly.

"No I do. She told me it was all her fault" Hermione said.

"She did!!!" Lucius felt like he was in another world. He could never imagine Samantha admitting fault, or speaking eye to eye with Hermione.

"She also told me what you did to Amycus…for me" Hermione continued.

Lucius fell silent. He wasn't sure he wanted Hermione to know. He didn't know how she would react and even more how Harry would react.

"It's ok. I think it's amazing, probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me" Hermione admitted.

"Ruining a man, humiliating him, tearing apart his marriage and lively hood, then having him thrown in jail is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for you? You are a strange girl" Lucius laughed.

"I guess I've just been dating the wrong men" Hermione laughed back.

Lucius picked her up and walked her into his room. He laid her down on his bed. Her hair flared out under her head and she looked beautiful.

"Will you do something for me?" Hermione asked.

"Anything" Lucius leaned over her so he could be closer to her.

"No magic" Hermione winked.

Lucius laughed and placed his mouth gently on hers. She let his tongue open her mouth and swipe across her teeth. She pushed her tongue against his and found her way into his mouth. He tasted so sweet.

She pushed him back onto his feet, as she sat in front of him on the bed she found the clasps to his robes. She began unfastening them as the butterflies in her stomach started flying around. When the garment suddenly fell from his shoulders revealing his bare chest she had to catch her breath. She immediately was distracted and began tracing his muscles with the tips of her fingers.

She found the waist of his pants and slid them down his thighs. She placed on hand on his very erect penis and pulled her hair to one side.

"I don't think I could handle not having you in my arms any longer" Lucius sighed and pulled Hermione up to her feet.

He placed his hands around her waist and slowly ran his fingers under her shirt and up over her head. He kissed her shoulders and the base of her neck. He could feel the vibrations of her moan in her throat. He reached around and unfastened her bra. He let it drop to the floor as he massaged her breasts. He felt her nipples get hard in his hand and moved his lips from her neck to lick them.

"Lucius…please" Hermione managed. She was beginning to lose her senses and she didn't want to miss anything.

She quickly wiggled out of her skirt and fell back onto the bed. Lucius crawled over her and kiss her with every bit of passion he could muster. He reached down and positioned himself between her legs. She buried her face in his neck and pushed her hips up to him.

He slipped into her easily. The days of missing him had left her very susceptible to his touch. In all honesty just being in the same room as him brought her close to orgasm. Lucius held her in a kiss as he molded her to fit him and she gripped his back for dear life. He found a rhythm she agreed with and they had to break off the kiss to get enough air. She could feel her body warm from head to toe. His strokes were long and increased with intensity at every beat.

She was getting hypnotized by the rhythm, so she stopped him in mid stroke. She planted both hands on his chest and rolled him over on his back. She leaned in and nibbled on his ear as she slid him back inside her. She rocked back and forth, rotating her hips left then right. She tried to keep switching things up but his cock pushed against her just right and she couldn't help herself. She pulled back and made him rub against the spot again and again. Her head fell backwards and she braced herself on his knees.

He reached down and pressed his thumb against her clit. He could feel himself reaching his climax and he wanted to make sure Hermione was coming with him. Hermione suddenly became stiff and he felt her muscles contract around him. He pushed up inside her and released with her.

She fell limp on top of him and breathed heavily into his neck. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. After she regained consciousness she rolled over onto her side.

"I thought I said no magic" Hermione said breathlessly.

"There was no magic involved" Lucius winked back at her.

Hermione wasn't exactly sure she would call what just happened magic free, but she was more than willing to explore that later.

As Lucius lay beside Hermione he could feel his soul making one last transformation. He was in love with a muggle born, hopelessly in love. He prayed she would stick around for a while longer so that he could prove to her how much he loved her.

That night Hermione had another dream. She dreamed she was in the Malfoy manor, not as a prisoner or guest, but as its mistress, and she was happy there.

Well that's the end. I am so thankful for everyone who has read this story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you really keep me motivated. I hope everyone has a great Holiday and a Happy New Year.

Mrs Edward Cullen 2012~ Have a great time in Mexico. I'll be here neck deep in snow, wrapped in blankets with only my stories to keep me warm. Maybe I'll write about Edward next ;)

Bella67x~ You make me laugh. Thanks for the reviews!!

Loveismagic~ Thanks for sticking with me through this.


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